Sun could be set to rise on a new dawn for solar power

farms: Firm confirms it wants to develop on almost 40 sites right across Fife and Angus

Thousands of homes across Fife and Tayside could soon be powered by the sun as a solar revolution in Scotland gathers pace.

Green Energy International (GEI) has confirmed it is preparing to develop a number of solar farms in Fife and along the east coast of Scotland, where conditions are thought to be ideal to harness the energy source.

Around 80 possible locations are being pursued by the firm across Scotland, all selected based on the need for energy on the national and local electricity grid, together with a strict planning filter for possible risks such as visibility, archaeology and ecology.

However, there are scores of sites already being progressed by a number of developers across Fife and Tayside, with that figure expected to rise.

Fife has at least 20 different solar farms in development, while Angus Council is understood to have at least 18.

Matthew Bayley, head of international planning at Green Energy International, confirmed the firm has screening requests in for sites near Giffordtown, Leven, Ladybank and Auchtermuchty.

“We are interested in developing sites between 5MWp, power for approximately 3,030 homes annually, and 29.9 MWp, approximately 18,180 homes for a year,” he confirmed.

“We are looking to incorporate battery storage into our developments, which will help to level the output of the development, meaning electricity will be provided during the peak times in the morning and evening, rather than just when the sun is shining.

“The battery storage will also have the ability to take energy in from the national grid (from sources such as wind turbines running at night when energy usage is sparse) and put the electricity back into the grid when it’s needed.

“All of our solar parks are developed and built with the knowledge that they will be returned to their original state after 25 years and where possible, we employ local contractors.”

Mr Bayley added: “These systems, when installed in the right areas, can be built quickly, without much disruption to the locality and provide a manageable support to the National Grid.

“Whenever sites are selected we do so in areas with minimum visibility issues, though where visibility is a concern, we can usually screen the sites to reduce adverse visual impact.

“With increasing pressure on agriculture, hard-pressed farmers are keen to diversify in order to protect the long-term viability of their farms.

“The solar farm also provides a safe and secure revenue stream for the 25-year life of the lease.”

All of our solar parks are developed and built with the knowledge that they will be returned to their original state after 25 years