Frequently Asked Questions

The UK is legally bound through the Climate Change Act 2008 to reduce greenhouse gases and carbon emissions. In particular, the Act sets a target to achieve 'net zero' emissions by 2050 compared to a 1990 baseline. The UK Government's strategy to achieve net zero by 2050 is for there to be a dramatic increase in electricity generation from renewable resources. 

In June 2019, the UK Government declared a climate emergency and in October 2021 confirmed its target to decarbonise the electricity system by 2035 and secure a home-grown clean electricity supply. 

Currently approximately 30% of UK emissions are from electricity generation and heating for buildings and approximately 25% of emissions come from transport. In order to reach net zero the UK will need a much more widespread use of renewable electricity generation, the use of electric heat pumps in the home and the use of electric vehicles. The supply of electricity will need significantly more generation and the type of generation will need to change from fossil fuels to renewables.

The development of solar as a renewable energy generation is supported by national and local energy policy – in addition to the UK Government position, Ashford Borough Council, Folkestone & Hythe District Council and Kent County Council have publicly acknowledged the climate emergency and are adjusting their supply chains to achieve net zero. 

Under a number of scenarios being considered by the Government, solar generation could increase from the current level of 13.5 gigawatt ('GW') to between 80 and 120GW. 

The development of domestic renewable generation will reduce the UK’s exposure to global energy markets and its current reliance on importing energy from potentially unstable parts of the world, resulting in more stable and lower energy bills.   

Due to the generating capacity of the solar and energy storage park exceeding 50MW, the project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).

The development consenting regime for NSIP projects comes under the Planning Act 2008 and the development will be authorised through a Development Consent Order or ‘DCO’.

DCO applications must be made to the Planning Inspectorate who in the case of energy related development acts on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, informed by a recommendation from an independent Planning Inspector(s).

The final consent award was granted by the Secretary of State Right Honorable Ed Miliband MP.

DCO applications cannot be determined by the local authority, although the local authorities are involved throughout the planning process and maintain an important role during the DCO application process.

The local authority will be responsible for approving certain detailed aspects of the proposed development following the grant of the DCO 

The DCO application was submitted in June 2024 and accepted for examination in July 2024. 

The site has been selected as it meets all the key criteria for a development such as this:

• Access to a nearby grid connection at Sellindge that has available capacity for a project of this size. 
  
• High levels of sunlight (irradiation) given its South-East location means that the land required for the same output is less than it would be in other parts of the country.
• No statutory landscape, heritage or ecological designations on the site. No significant cultural designations. 
  
• Topography and existing hedgerows will help to minimise the visual impact of the project from Aldington and other viewpoints.
  
• Adjacent to pre-existing infrastructure including HS1, the M20, the Sellindge electrical substation and overhead lines.
  
• Proximity to local large energy users provides the opportunity for a direct connection to provide renewable power locally.
• Predominately lower grade agricultural land. Removal of this land from intensive farming use will reduce nitrate impact on the East Stour River and surrounding waterways. 
  
• Good access, being located close to the M20/A20.

It is expected that the solar farm will operate for around 40 years. After this time, it can be de-commissioned, all the equipment removed and the land restored for ongoing agricultural use. 

The project will provide an inflation linked community benefit fund for the lifetime of the project to be used locally for social and environmental projects.

During the project's operational lifespan the biodiversity will be greatly enhanced and the soil condition will be improved. The lack of farming on the site will encourage new flora and fauna to flourish, while it continues to be grazed by sheep. Public access to the land will remain and in places will be enhanced.

A biodiversity scheme will be prepared to ensure that the project contributes to landscape and ecological improvements and therefore provides a biodiversity net gain. This will include:

• Protecting existing habitats and creating new habitats to benefit the local wildlife.
• Protecting and enhancing existing hedgerows
• Installing bird and bat boxes on the site and sowing wildflower meadows.

Stonestreet Green Solar would be a multi-million pound investment into the local area.

As a significant local business, Stonestreet Green Solar will be contributing substantial business rates on an annual basis to Ashford Borough Council.

There will be opportunities for the involvement of local companies, and local residents will be able to access employment opportunities. 

The southeast of England has a higher number of ‘peak sun hours’ than other areas of the UK, enabling solar to operate more effectively, so it is likely that areas such as Kent will have more solar farms than others (in the same way that onshore wind is located in more windy areas of the UK).

However, developments are always limited by the ability to connect to the National Grid, so no one area will be overwhelmed with solar. Other solar farms in the area are in different stages of their development, but all need to go through the planning regime before they can be built, so a proposed development is not guaranteed to materialise.

EPL 001’s proposal is the construction, operation and maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of Stonestreet Green Solar, a solar photovoltaic array generating up to 99.9MW of electricity and an energy storage facility.

The proposals include solar arrays, which will provide electricity to the national grid to power UK homes.

There will be electrical connection infrastructure to connect the solar park to the existing Sellindge Substation.

It is also proposed to include an energy storage solution, so that Stonestreet Green Solar can store the Sun’s power and distribute it to the grid when it is needed the most.

Land will be provided for ecological mitigation and enhancement, with particular consideration given to bird species and dual land use such as lowland meadow and sheep grazing. In total, of the developable area contained in the site, only around 50% will be underneath solar panels.

The project has secured nearby grid connection access at Sellindge.

Proximity to local large energy users also provides the opportunity for a private wire connection.

The energy storage configuration was finalised prior to the submission of the DCO application. An Outline Battery Safety Management Plan was appended to the Environmental Statement and consulted on and agreed with the Health and Safety Executive and Kent Fire and Rescue Service as appropriate.

EPL 001’s pre-application consultation included three rounds of local information events which are open to all interested members of the public. The first was held in April 2022, when we introduced our plans to the local community via a series of public exhibitions. Residents in the vicinity of the project were informed by leaflet of the arrangements for consultation events.

Feedback from this initial round of consultation was used to develop our plans, and these were presented via a second round of statutory consultation which took place in Autumn 2022. A third, and final, round of consultation was held during June and July 2023.

The development is deliberately split between various parcels of land to reduce the visual impact and the site has been chosen because of its topography and existing hedgerows. It will not be visible from the main village.

Yes, EPL 001 will be funding the project in collaboration with its development partner Korkia, a Finnish renewable energy investment company.

No, Stonestreet Green Solar will not rely on any public subsidies and is being funded by the private sector.