A SOLAR farm could be built to help a popular jam manufacturer address its rising energy costs.
Plans have been submitted to Colchester Council for the development of a large solar farm on the Wilkin and Sons site in Factory Hill, Tiptree.
The company also looks to plant a small group of native hardwood trees in honour of King Charles III’s coronation and a further 2km of hedges.
The company hopes producing renewable energy will manage its energy costs whilst making a step towards a carbon neutral future.
A 25 acre area of land to the south-west of the main factory site will be used for the development.
The site includes two sloped fields which are located between two service roads within the Wilkin and Sons site.
When complete, the farm will generate up to 6.15 MW of renewable energy using 15,380 panels, mounted 0.85 metres above ground level.
If the scheme wins approval, the installation will be carried out in two phases, with the first phase providing 10,380 panels and the second phase providing a further 5,000.
The infrastructure to support the panels will be installed as part of the first phase and the panels themselves aren’t expected to be installed until two to three years after the approval of the plans.
The lifecycle of the solar farm is predicted to be 25 years.
Chris Newenham, joint managing director of Wilkin & Sons Ltd, said: “In challenging times with energy costs at record highs it is important that businesses look at ways to mitigate the worst of these increases.
“The installation of a field scale solar array will not only help to address some of these costs but it will also present a golden opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint and to take another small step on the journey towards a carbon neutral future.
“In addition to the installation of solar panels we will be planting a further 2km of hedges and a new Coronation Copse of native hardwoods to mark the Coronation of King Charles III.”
A decision is set to be made by Colchester Council by March 31.
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