Why Solar?

The development of renewable energy projects is of vital importance to the East Riding of Yorkshire, due to the region’s vulnerability to the impact of climate change.

This is because the area is already extremely susceptible to flooding and costal erosion, two problems that are being accelerated as global temperatures climb.

Solar farms are, however, already playing a big role in combating the problem as they bring many benefits both in terms of energy generation and for the surrounding communities.

Due to its topography, the East Riding of Yorkshire is particularly suited to solar developments.

Solar farm technology uses sunlight absorbing photovoltaic cells – similar to the solar panels people install on the roof of their home – to convert the sun’s energy into clean electricity. They still work effectively on cloudy and rainy days.

This is then fed into the National Grid where it is drawn down to power our homes and businesses.

The first and most important benefit of solar farms is the production of significant quantities of electricity without any of the carbon emissions associated with burning fossil fuels – traditionally the way electricity has been produced.

This means they play a vital role in the UK, and the world, transitioning to a low carbon economy and mitigating the worst effects of climate change.

Solar-generated electricity is one of the very cheapest and greenest sources of energy available which means by harnessing it, we can all do our bit for climate change while at the same time, pay less for our energy.

Solar panels also have no moving parts which means little maintenance is required and there is less chance of a solar farm failing and causing a break in energy production. No moving parts also means that as a whole, solar farms produce very little noise.

As well as this, they do not generate emissions of any kind, nor do they create any unpleasant smells. As the height of the panels is relatively low – 2.5 to 3m – they also have little visual impact on an area and what impact they do have can be mitigated by natural vegetation which often enhances the landscape and increases local biodiversity.

Finally, solar farms are time-limited developments that have no detrimental impact on the land on which they are located. This means that when they come to the end of their working life – usually around 35 to 40 years – the land can be returned to food production.