The developer behind plans for giant solar farms in Scotland says it is currently looking at 12 potential sites for major green energy projects in the country.
The firm failed to disclose the exact location of the sites, but it is believed a number are in coastal areas in the north and north-east.
But Lightsource said each site was around 50 acres in size – the equivalent of 28 football pitches – to house 7MW of solar panels, which will produce enough electricity to power around 1,800 homes.
“We are looking at viability of grid as well as planning,” a Lightsource spokeswoman told the Press and Journal and Energy Voice.
“Local planners are familiar with wind installations but not really solar, so we are looking into the planning process and understanding what will be required for making a planning application.”
She said if the company went ahead and developed each of the 12 sites, at least five full-time positions will be created in Scotland for maintenance engineers.
“However, we will not progress with any site until we have conducted a full community consultation and made public announcements,” said the spokeswoman.
“We will also be looking to work with local wildlife trusts, local contractors and prioritise the local supply chain as best we can.”
The firm plans to hold a series of roadshows across Scotland to inform communities about its plans for large-scale solar farms; the first will take place in Musselburgh on February 11.
In November last year, the P&J revealed farmers could earn more than £50,000 a year renting out their land to Lightsource as sites for large-scale solar farms.
At the time, the firm said it was on the hunt for eight 80-acre sites, for which it would offer rents of up to £700/acre.
This means, if the current sites go ahead, landowners could earn up to £35,000 a year in rent or £875,000 over the 25-year lifespan of each project.
Lightsource is a big player in the UK solar market, currently operating more than 300MW of large-scale solar across nearly 80 sites in the UK.
A shortage of connections to the National Grid has resulted in the firm moving out of its heartland in England’s south-west.
