Jersey solar farms: Residents have say on plans

The panels would produce enough energy to power nearly 1,200 homes, said Jersey Electricity

Jersey Electricity (JE) is asking people in St Mary what they think about proposals for two solar farms.

The solar farms would produce enough energy to power nearly 1,200 homes in Jersey, said JE.

Land earmarked for the siting of the panels would continue to be used for grazing and growing crops, it said.

The company is holding a community consultation from 10:00 to 20:00 BST at St Mary's Parish Hall where people can view the site plans.

The sites, at La Rue d'Olive and La Rue de la Hougue Mauger, cover about 68 vergees (17 acres) of land.

JE chief executive Chris Ambler said solar energy would mean "affordable and secure electricity for the long term".

He added: "We hope that St Mary parishioners will come and learn more about ground-mount solar and share their ideas.

"Engaging with the local community on these solar developments is important to JE and will help to shape the planning submission."

Ecologist John Pinel said the solar farms and wind turbines would have a "landscape impact" but this needed to be accepted.

He said: "You have to weigh it up - a bit of a landscape impact against trying to provide some energy security for Jersey, trying to manage the costs of electricity generation over the coming years and, of course, that hugely important transition from carbon-dense energy generation to alternative means of power generation."

Planning approval has been granted for a solar farm in St Clement and an application has been submitted for a site at Sorel.

The National Trust objected to the Sorel site on the grounds that it would have a "substantial adverse effect" on the area.

However, Peter Cadiou, also from JE, said the company had worked to make the panels as unobtrusive as possible.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," he said.

"Everybody has their point of view about the way these things look."

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