Consultation meeting on Milford's multi megawatt solar array (From Western Telegraph)

Consultation meeting on Milford's multi megawatt solar array

3:29pm Thursday 20th September 2012 in News

Milford Haven Port Authority is holding a public consultation day today (Thursday) with regards to a 20,000 panel solar array.

The authority is preparing to submit a planning application for the five megawatt array at Liddeston Ridge and a public consultation event is taking place this afternoon at Suite 4A, CedarCourt, Milford Haven (behind Tesco, near the library) .

The huge solar park could power 1,000 homes and follows on from the 2,500 panels installed across a number of buildings in Milford Marina and Pembroke Port earlier this year.

Milford Haven Port’s energy development manager Tim James said: “We carried out feasibility studies of all types of renewable energy options on the land.

“A wind energy development was also considered, but we chose a photovoltaic array to minimise environmental impacts.

“We also know that Pembrokeshire is one of the best places in the UK to install solar panels; monitoring of the existing arrays over the past nine months show 24% greater production than expected – despite the wettest summer in 100 years,” he added.

The authority says woodland and hedgerows will be built to shield the proposed development, which would be located on improved grassland which already has a grid connection point.

As well as generating energy, the array presents an ‘opportunity to improve the biodiversity of the fields around it’ it said.

The scheme adds to an increasing number of solar farms around the county, with two more given the green light last week. A 4.96 megawatt array in St Florence and a 7.5 megawatt array at Mathry, were approved by Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee lastTuesday.

For further information email tim.james@mhpa.co.uk or call 01646 696100.