Tackling Climate Change
As we transition to a net-zero future, reducing the impacts of climate change both locally and globally, RES' priority is to deliver clean, green electricity at the lowest cost for consumers. New analysis on electricity generation costs published by BEIS1 shows that large-scale solar, alongside onshore and offshore wind, are now the cheapest forms of electricity generation. This makes developments like Shipmeadow Solar Farm not just good for the environment but also for the consumer.
If consented, Shipmeadow Solar Farm would be capable of producing clean, green electricity for around 18,0002 homes every year.
The Environment
Solar farms have significant potential to enhance biodiversity, hosting a range of habitats including wildflower meadows, hedgerows, nectar-rich areas for pollinators, and woodland. A typical solar farm uses around just 5% of the total site area with the rest of the land remaining undisturbed, creating significant opportunities to provide a range of ecological benefits.
Benefiting the Local Community
RES seeks to be a power for good in the communities that neighbour its projects by working openly and constructively to ensure meaningful local benefits.
RES is committed to ensuring that, wherever possible, local contractors and employees are used in all aspects of solar farm development. The major opportunities arise during the construction phase when suitably qualified local firms are often invited to bid for different aspects of construction. We encourage our contractors to source construction materials locally (i.e. within the county) and to use local transport and plant hire companies where possible, in addition to local services and amenities.
In addition, if consented, Shipmeadow Solar Farm would deliver business rates annually for the life of the project. East Suffolk Council retains 100% of all the business rates due from Renewable Energy businesses (Solar and Wind Farms) to fund vital local services for all local residents.
We also believe that solar farms should provide direct, lasting benefits to local communities. RES takes a tailored approach and works directly with the community to understand how the solar farm could support the local area and help to secure long-term economic, social and environmental benefits. This approach will help to deliver a tailored community benefits package that is aligned with the local communities’ priorities.
1 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6556027d046ed400148b99fe/electricity-generation-costs-2023.pdf
2 The homes figure has been calculated by taking the predicted average annual electricity generation of the site and dividing this by the annual average electricity figures from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) showing that the annual UK average domestic household consumption is 3,748 kWh (Dec 2021).