The sun farm taking shape on the outskirts of North Walsham. It lies between the Bittern Line on the left, and the A149, right. Picture: MIKE PAGE

PICTURE: Ssshh: it’s huge, it’s powerful, it’s slap-bang beside North Norfolk’s largest town and it’s the district’s best-kept secret

by Alex Hurrell , Reporter Saturday, October 29, 2011
7:48 PM

A birds-eye view of north Norfolk’s best-kept secret - a huge sun farm on the edge of the district’s largest town.

Trevor Ivory

While plans to erect a single wind turbine a little further north, near Holt, are creating a storm of protest, this renewable-energy scheme, covering nearly 30 acres, has been approved and built over the summer in North Walsham, with hardly a whisper.

And it has been welcomed by a leading councillor who believes it could help bring much-needed employment to the town.

Aerial photographer Mike Page’s photo shows the triangular-shaped site at Carlton Farm, just south of the town, between the North Walsham to Norwich railway line and the A149 North Walsham to Stalham road.

Built by Norwich-based PV farms, it features 18,000 photovotaic (PV) panels tilted at 35 deg to the ground, arranged in six meter-long (19.6ft) rows, standing about three meters (9.8ft) high.

Sun farm at North Walsham.; PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY

The panels, covered in non-reflective glass, convert the sun’s heat into electricity and have an estimated output of five mega-watts; enough to power about 1,500 homes.

The power generated is fed into the National Grid through the nearby North Walsham sub station and the life-span of the farm is estimated at 25 years.

Trevor Ivory, North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) cabinet member and a North Walsham resident, welcomed the development which he understands is the largest in the region.

Mr Ivory added: “It’s sustainable, renewable energy without any of the impacts of a wind turbine. One of the biggest issues for North Walsham in trying to attract new employers is the lack of an adequate electricity supply which limits the town’s growth. This has the potential to overcome some of those problems.”

Richard Atkins, of PV Farms, has been racing against the clock to complete the scheme following a government review of subsidy arrangements for solar-energy projects.

An official announcement is expected this Monday, October 31, but leaked documents suggest the government could slash incentives by half from December 8 for new schemes.

PV farms has a number of other Norfolk plans at different stages of progress, including projects at Salhouse, Snetterton and RAF Neatishead.

The Walsham solar farm, which actually falls within the parish of Worstead, was not discussed by NNDC’s planning committee members. No negative responses were received by the council during the consultation phase and it was approved by officers under delegated powers in May.

The site, partially visible from the railway, is hidden from traffic on the A149 and uses low-grade agricultural land.

Sheep may be brought in to keep the grass down between the rows of panels. The whole site is subject to 24-hour security measures.

In contrast, the application by Genatec to build a solitary, 84m-high wind turbine on land at Pond Farm, Bodham, has sharply divided the community.

Parties on both sides have taken their campaigns on-line with petitions, websites, pages on social media sites, and also bumper stickers.

The application has so far generated over 1,000 responses, including 163 in favour and 851 against.

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24 comments

Every south facing rooftop should have a Panel. The mass production would push down costs and increase efficiency. Agree with some of the comments about how Farmland should be used for farming. Many of the arguements against the wind turbine in Bodham could be used against this, (mostly innacurate) But no one is speaking out . . because this wont be visable to the same extent as a turbine - WHich justify's my view that those against the Bodham are just Selfish NIMBYs . .

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Callum Ringer

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Chris - thank you for the supportive comment. I would not advocate a Wash barrier as it is not necessary. The energy is in the water as Dynamic Pressure. East Anglia is surrounded by a vast tidal stream flow. Maybe a big investor will read this and email me dw@4nrg.eu and we can solve coastal erosion too. Not rocket science but no one ( in public finance soft jobs )listens to innate wisdom? Imo and experience.. aaagh!! The answer is obvious but no-one is awake, ;-)

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Dave01

Sunday, October 30, 2011
To add insult to injury they don't even seem to tilt to track the sun. This alone would increase the basic efficiency by up to 100%. Dumb and getting dumber.

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COLD

Sunday, October 30, 2011
These solar panels will be very inefficient, about 16%, why didn't they put the money into the development of better solar panels, a 32% efficiency would only take up half the ground area.

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COLD

Sunday, October 30, 2011
So what do the estimated 1500 homes that this system can supply do at night, use candles? Just why does this government sponsors such stupid concepts, like solar power with no back-up, and wind turbines that are out-of-date, maybe it will one day wake up and start to understand the real concepts. Just shows you don't need common sense to be an MP I suppose. Talk to people who actually use small systems and you might better understand the whole picture.

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COLD

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Well done Dave01 comments, amongst all the comments on this subject you are the only one to mention TIDAL POWER, %100 reliable, 247, no one to gripe about say one set up across part of the wash, no no no it wouldn't upset the lesser spotted plaice or the two toed crab. The tide has so much power and it is always there

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Christopher Neave

Sunday, October 30, 2011
I'm callin it an eyesore! You CAN see it from the A149. It's a massive blot on the landscape. But the thing that gets me so angry about this project (and all PV applications in general) is that I can guarantee the council and all other lefties involved have been saturated with buzz words and figures which make PV look amazing on paper. They NEVER do the research themselves, otherwise they would know about the impact on the environment PV panels have during manufacture. Not only that, the figures of outputs can (and always are) so easily exaggerated to make them look much better than they are. Once again the council has approved another ugly, inefficient (especially in Norfolk), and costly waste of time FAD! The only person clappig their hands is the owner. Who is probably enjoying a luxury holiday in the tropics (where there IS lots of sunshine) watching the figures roll in to his bank account. The sooner the government decrease the FIT the better if you ask me! It'll finally stop our country being turned into a solar panel disaster zone! One last thing... has anyone driven down the A149 when it's sunny? At this time of the year about 3-4pm? I did the other day... Couldn't see a thing due to the sun being reflected straight into my eyes!! It's going to end in disaster one day. Especially at the junction with sandy lane.

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Ben Bullen

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Well done Dave01 comments, amongst all the comments on this subject you are the only one to mention TIDAL POWER, %100 reliable, 247, no one to gripe about say one set up across part of the wash, no no no it wouldn't upset the lesser spotted plaice or the two toed crab.

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Paul Platten

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Mr T - No-one is reallly calling this an eyesore. It is more an economic in-balance. We all want renewable (free) energy but the sums (social, CO2 and commercial) have to add up. BR Dave

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Dave01

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Once again nothing but negative comments about an attempt at alternative energy sources. How can it be an eyesore? you wouldn't know it was there unless you were in a plane. It is about time people attempted to be more positive and support initiatives. I am all in favour of wind farms, and yes they do take up less space, but why isn't there more of them? Because everytime there is a proposal to build one the Nimbys come out of the woodwork in droves. Efficient nuclear plants may be a solution, but do you want one on your doorstep? No. So just what do you want? All you complain about are subsidies and increased bills, what isn't subsidised these days? and how many bills are not increasing? Get real people.

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Mr T

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Common sense has been thrown out of the window on these schemes. I get many emails and talk to many global visionaries, scientists and engineers.As always, I'm happy to listen and converse with anyone on dw@4nrg.eu

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Dave01

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Another outrageous abuse of public funds. A waste of time and money.

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Disgusted of Norwich South

Saturday, October 29, 2011
To take up the points raised by Daniel Doyle and others, the solar farm site is described as low grade agricultural land, which will still be used for raising sheep, so not entirely lost. This may be an island built on coal but since the Tories closed most of the mines we have to import the wretched stuff, just like much of our gas and oil, so there is no specific advantage there. We were ahead of the pack in developing Carbon Capture and Storage technology that could have enabled further coal fired stations to be built, but this idiot government pulled the plug on the Longannet project so we will lose our advantage yet again. Our governments, Tory and Labour, have been so firmly in the pocket of the nuclear industry that other green technologies such as wave power have been allowed to wither on the vine. But even the nuclear boys have lost out as there has been such a long gap since the last nuclear station was built that we have lost that capability too: any new stations built here will be constructed by foreign companies using their own proprietary technology. Or would be if the economic case for their construction could be made to stand up, which at the moment it can't. To blame all our woes on the EU and Brussels is plain dumb – it's the stupidity of our own governments that is the problem.

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Richard Kelham

Saturday, October 29, 2011
It beats me why people want to put up 2 or 3 big turbines on land when we can put 10,000 in the North Sea and plans are out to see this through... PV is not worth it at present. There is a new PV 3D crystal being developed in China but that is still a year off.,

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Dave01

Saturday, October 29, 2011
I find it absolutely amazing that a wind turbine at Bodham which will occupy a few square metres of land and cause very little loss of use of productive agricultural land has caused such an outcry when this eyesore hasn't! It appears to me that NNDC has allowed far more of an own goal for refusing future granting future planning permission for wind turbines by allowing this scar on North Norfolk,s landscape?

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Douglas McCoy

Saturday, October 29, 2011
All this PV is heavily subsidised by the government, wont be long until it all goes pear shaped, for your electric you use at home its about 15p a unit, government pay you 45p to produce ?????

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London in Norfolk

Saturday, October 29, 2011
I am just wondering what a solar farm grows? how do you cook them? what do they taste like?. once you have covered the B I with them and windmills, I guess the French will be able to sell you fresh food at a nice premium.. So much for "green energy"...

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canuk

Saturday, October 29, 2011
Does NNDC have a recycling bin for PV? Dust, dirt and moss will easily break (i.e from day one reduce output) unmaintained PVs, on the positive side maybe a fulltime job for someone to maintain them .. nice idea but the carbon and ( without FIT) economic figures dont add up to a positive value.

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Dave01

Saturday, October 29, 2011
I'm glad people already commented have done so! I'm FURIOUS about this complete farce of a project. I am so fed up with everyone bleating on about solar power without reading about it properly first. The entire nation has been brainwashed about how amazing they are, especially the council. Typical approach to everything. Also, what part of "can only be partially seen from the railway" is a lie? Oh wait, all of it! Have you driven along the main road?!? IT'S A MILLION TIMES MORE OF AN EYESORE THAN A TURBINE WOULD HAVE BEEN... and that would have powered over 5000 homes... and jobs?!? What jobs?!? Once finished it will run with minimum of human input. Anyone who says this project will create jobs is having a laugh!! ARGH!!

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Ben Bullen

Saturday, October 29, 2011
It is estimated that the cost of renewables adds 20% to our electricity bills making this iniquitous redistribution of wealth scheme an absolute sham. The analysis of ingo wagenknecht is correct but omits to add that this is being driven by an EU directive forcing the UK to achieve 20% renewable energy by 2020. What this means in reality is that everyone who pays an energy bill is paying for windmills to stand still in no wind and again pay when the wind is too high, likewise with the PV panels as in the feature, no sun means a drop off and with the average PV covered roof generating about enough electricity to boil a kettle; I suggest that this appalling scheme would never exist without the subsidised feed in tariff and out observance of every directive foisted upon us from Brussels. By far the majority of our electricity comes from coal and as our Island is built on coal, I say we tell Brussels to go to Hell, we are going to look after our own interest first and we begin building more coal and nuclear power stations while there is still time and before the lights go out. Strange, that as third world countries are developing nuclear and coal fired electricity we seem intent on exchanging their lifestyles with ours. Being green is great in principle but I would rather have both light and heat and get out of the EU before they remove every aspect of our countries independence.

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Daniel Doyle

Saturday, October 29, 2011
Oh I forgot to mention the ridiculous top heavy carbon footprint for PV's.. roofs maybe, farmland never!

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Dave01

Saturday, October 29, 2011
PV cells are still very inefficient and are a waste of land which could be better used to grow carrots. PV 's laminated to window glass makes more sense. IMO this is a waste of time and money as we can generate more power in a minute in tidal than this would in 25 years.. .

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Dave01

Saturday, October 29, 2011
It's NOT subsidised by tax payers it's subsidised by the FIT which is of course ultimately paid for by all utility users not restricted to those paying income tax! If it were not for schemes like this then our utility prices would likely rise even further given that we have no capacity in the UK for generating electricity now due to the chronic lack of investment in the infrastructure for decades and foreign companies know it. If it were not for the renewables putting electricity into the national grid we would be in BIG trouble if not now then very soon. We NEED to build some new power stations and unfortunately the only viable ones are realistically nuclear and even if we started building them tomorrow it'd be years before they turned a turbine in anger - In short our politicians have royally screwed it up, as usual!

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Richard_Waugh

Saturday, October 29, 2011
This private development is being subsidised by us taxpayers and the owner of that farm will be living on the feed in tarif returns which are 40pkwh. The beginning of next year will see this subsidy fall by half, not that the energy prices will fall by half. In other countries generators of electricity deal directly with the large energy providers, they pay for the FIT, not the taxpayer or the Government, this system is wrong and convoluted.

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ingo wagenknecht

Saturday, October 29, 2011