If approved, Great Harmeston Solar Farm will deliver sustainable investment for the local community, available for the lifetime of the project. During the consultation for the project, we will work with local communities and organisations to help shape this investment into the community. We look forward to hearing your views in due course. Wherever possible, we will also use local suppliers and contractors during construction and operation.
Flora and Fauna
Once installed, solar farms typically require less intensive land management than traditional agriculture (e.g., no ploughing, pesticides, or fertilisers). This creates opportunities for habitat recovery.
Land under and around panels can be planted with wildflowers or native grasses, supporting pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Solar farms can act as safe havens for wildlife, including birds, small mammals, and insects.
Solar farms often include buffer strips, hedgerows, and field margins, which can become important wildlife corridors connecting habitats. Unlike other forms of development, solar farms are quiet and low traffic, reducing disturbance to wildlife.
Food vs. Fuel
Renewable energy projects such as Great Harmeston Solar Farm are essential to tackling climate change, though some worry they might affect food security.
For this project, the vast majority of the land being used for the solar farm is not “best and most versatile” BMV agricultural land. It is a mix of poorer-quality grade land. The solar farm will help diversify the income of the farmer – strengthening their business – and will help improve local energy independence by generating power domestically. The land can still be used for grazing by sheep over the lifetime of the project.
Local Electricity
Great Harmeston Solar Farm will feed electricity directly into the National Grid via the local overhead line network. Local homes will then draw power from the grid. In this way, the solar farm will help to provide local homes with renewable electricity.
Community Funding
Alongside the benefits that this project brings in terms of contributing to local and national climate targets and energy security, Arise also aims to bring benefits to the area by offering a package of local benefits for the local community.
We are open to ideas for specific projects that the local community may want to see resources provided for as part of a community benefit package.
