A new renewable energy park is being proposed for the Isle of Wight.
Ridge Clean Energy (RCE) has set out proposals for the Sunny Oaks Renewable Energy Park - an ‘Island first’ hybrid renewable energy project that comes with benefits for the community.
The proposed 20MW park, situated south-west of Wootton, would pair solar with battery storage, meaning the combination of technologies could deliver efficient, reliable and stable energy generation.
The associated Sunny Oaks Community Benefit Fund is also projected to provide a minimum of £10,000 per year for the lifespan of the project - up to 40 years - alongside a development team bringing talent and experience for delivering projects with community benefits.
Ray Harrington-Vail, Founder and CEO of The Footprint Trust, said:
“Now, more than ever, the Isle of Wight needs to focus on sustainable development. The Footprint Trust fully supports the Sunny Oaks Renewable Proposal by Ridge Clean Energy.
"This project will be a positive step forward in reducing our impact on our planet."
Marjorie Glasgow BEM, co-founder of RCE, said:
“We develop each project with the scope to do so much more than generate power. We believe that combining clean energy with the needs of communities is the most powerful way to tackle climate change and its impacts.
“Our local contributions and up-front seed capital go over and above the Community Benefit Fund. We are working with islanders to support the local food sharing network, and efforts to provide assistance in the face of rising energy costs. We are also working to create renewable energy industry placements for those who wish to learn more about this field of employment."
Jonny Murphy, Sunny Oaks Project Manager, added:
“The Sunny Oaks Renewable Energy Park could help the Isle of Wight adapt to big challenges currently facing communities in the UK – climate change, domestic energy security, and the rising cost of living.
“We’ve worked closely with Island-based technical teams to not only manage impacts, but also to develop a scheme resulting in biodiversity net gain.”
Infrastructure would be located on land assessed as moderate to poor quality (not ‘Best and Most Versatile’).
Ridge Clean Energy held two public exhibitions to engage with local communities in May 2022.
It said the scheme has also been designed to avoid impacting existing trees within the site, as well as creating a safe buffer zone to protect nearby ancient woodland. At the end of its operational period, the site would be fully decommissioned and returned to its original land-use, with the added benefit of increased organic soil carbon content.
The application has now been submitted (22/01585/FUL) which can be viewed at https://beta.iow.gov.uk/planning/planning-applications/application-search-view-and-comment/
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