Statkraft discusses the role of UK solar in interview with BBC Radio
Gareth Hawkins, Solar Developer at Statkraft, joined BBC Radio Cornwall to discuss the benefits of developing solar on UK soils.
He had the opportunity to dispel a few myths, such that our solar farms tend to be developed on pasture for grazing, not high quality arable land.
Gareth went on to explain that solar farms are temporary structures, and that while the land is out of arable use the nutrients improve resulting in higher grade land than it is currently.
The importance of solar in the journey to net zero was discussed, “there is no magic bullet” Gareth explained, but “everything is going to be little steps. You have to look at the coal burning reduction in the past few years to realise that renewables are making a difference.” With the average output of our solar farms about 50GWh per annum, this powers the equivalent of 16,000 to 20,000 homes with carbon-free electricity.
We work closely with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to develop our solar farms. Gareth explained that as well as screening the solar farms to reduce visible impact, we develop projects which make a net biodiversity gain to the location.
Listen to the full programme here on BBC Sounds, Gareth’s interview at 10:25: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bjzss4 (Available until 27 March 2022)