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Project Update - October 2023

Since our Public Exhibition in January 2023, we have been continuing to refine the design of the solar farm, taking into consideration the results of site surveys and assessments as well as any feedback from the community and stakeholders.

In the coming weeks, we will be preparing a planning application to submit to Babergh District Council, which will be supported by a number of detailed environmental and technical assessments.  Once validated by Babergh District Council, we will notify the local community and a copy of the full planning application will be available to view/download from this website as well as on the Babergh District Council's website.

Below is the updated layout for the proposed solar farm. As a direct result of feedback, we have made a number of design changes including:

  • Removal of solar infrastructure from lower, north-facing slopes in the northern portion of the site and by the driveway to Moorhouse Farm. This would reduce potential visibility from the north side of the Glem Valley and Braggons Hill and the driveway to Moorhouse Farm, respectively. 
  • Additional planting proposed along the northern perimeters of the site to further reduce potential visibility.
  • The largest majority of the land within site has been classified grade 3b and is not deemed Best and Most versatile (BMV). To minimise the use of small sections of land which have been classified as BMV, where possible, we have removed some solar infrastructure from the north-east portion of the site.
  • Increased setback distance from 10m to 15m from Dripping Pan Wood to align with the setback distances from the ancient woodlands of Lownage Wood and Park Wood.
  • Any infrastructure located on hardstandings have been removed from within the flood risk zone associated with the River Glem.
  • We are also working on including a habitat management area, measuring approximately 70 acres, to improve existing habitat to benefit wildlife.

Click on image to enlarge

RES is proud to have been innovators in the development of the global renewable energy market and we continue to seek new and pioneering ways to improve the efficiency and generation potential of our schemes.

Following recent technological and commercial advancements, we also propose to include hybrid battery storage units as part of the proposed development to help increase the flexibility and generation opportunities for Boxted Solar Farm.

Energy storage will be a key part in managing the increasingly complex supply and demand needs of the 21st Century. The grid network must be finely balanced; electrical demand must match electrical generation at all times. If this balance is not achieved, it can lead to blackouts and the failure of grid circuits.  The addition of battery storage units would enable excess generation from the solar farm to be stored, then released back to the grid network during times of no or low generation from the solar panels.

It is proposed to include 2 x battery storage containers, each measuring 6m x 2.5m x 3m (length x width x height) at each inverter location.  A small amount of solar infrastructure has been removed to accommodate the energy units, however, the capacity of Boxted Solar Farm would remain 20MW.