A public consultation event on a proposed 480ac solar farm near Limavady is set to take place next Wednesday 26 June.

The solar farm, which is being developed by one of the world’s largest developers, RES, will have the capacity to generate 80 MW of renewable electricity, enough to power 24,000 homes.

A 100 MW battery storage energy system (BESS) will also be developed alongside the solar farm. BESS units are increasingly being developed alongside solar and wind farms as a means to help balance generation and demand. If the solar farm progresses, it will be the biggest development so far in NI and one of the largest on the island. The public consultation will take place at the Roe Park Resort, Limavady from 4 to 8pm.

Batteries

Large-scale battery storage projects are currently going through a boom, with dozens of projects proposed across the island. BESS projects, while requiring a relatively small land area, often have high-value long-term leases for land owners, in the region of £1,200-£1,500 per MW of storage per year for around 30 years. Last month, plans were unveiled for a large-scale 600MW BESS near Lisburn. The project would be the second largest on the island so far, requiring around 8ac of land. It would be located close to a substation. Elsewhere, SSE Renewables has acquired a fully consented 100MW battery storage project near Dungannon, with construction expected to start soon.