RENEWABLE energy supplier, Good Energy, is planning to submit a planning application for a solar farm in Delabole within the next few weeks, following a recent public exhibition.

Good Energy has owned Delabole Wind Farm, Cornwall’s first commercial wind farm, since 2002, and now plans to build a 3MW solar farm alongside it that they claim will generate enough renewable electricity to power around 740 average homes.

The energy supplier says it has come up with a design that will maximize agricultural productivity as well as making the most of the wind farm’s grid connection.

They propose a 17-metre gap between each row of panels to allow farm machinery to work the 25-acre site.

If approved, Good Energy is expected to contribute a minimum of £1,000 per MW of installed capacity to a new community fund each year for the lifetime of the solar farm.

Simon Wheeler, from Good Energy, said: “We had more than 30 people at the exhibition and it was a good opportunity to meet members of the local community in Delabole to discuss the proposals themselves as well as the ways in which the proposed contributions to a community fund might be used and administered in support of local projects.

“We were pleased with the response and we will be taking into consideration the comments received at the exhibition, together with those collected at the village shop and online, and we would expect to submit a planning application for the site within the next few weeks.”

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week’s edition of the Post.