Top of document


WIMBISH SOLAR  FARM Ltd (no web site)
              

HAZELL, Matthew Justin

• Role: Director, Nationality British, Resident England

GANDIA FORNES, Jose Luis

• Role: Director, Nationality Spanish, Resident England

WIMBISH SOLAR  FARM Ltd is controlled by:Padero Solaer Ltd

        
Top of document

 PADERO SOLAER LTD (web site https://www.paderosolar.com)

LOCKHART, Glenn

• Role: Director, Nationality British, Resident England

MOZAS FENOLL, Adrian

• Role: Director, Nationality Spanish, Resident Spain

Padero Solaer Ltd  is controlled by: Sumando Ltd     

Padero Solar Limited is a private company, with our registered office being located at 2 Crossways Business Centre, Bicester Road Kingswood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0RA

Since 2012, we have been focused on renewable energy development, more specifically utility scale ground mounted solar farms. We are immensely proud of the work we do to deliver solar energy projects that, Individually and collectively, help to directly tackle climate change.

Top of document

SUMANDO LTD (no web site)

GANDIA FORNES, Jose Luis

• Role: Director, Nationality Spanish, Resident England

MOZAS FENOLL, Adrian

• Role: Director, Nationality Spanish, Resident Spain

Non directors with significant control of Sumando

Gabriel Cuartero

• Nationality Spanish Country of residence Spain. Has significant influence or control

Juan Cuartero

• Nationality Spanish Country of residence Spain. Has significant influence or control of the company

Top of document

So the organisation that is making plans for another Wimbish Solar Farm is SUMANDO LTD
a company all of the decision makers, bar one, are Spanish and live in Spain.

There is a complex chain of companies involved in the plans for another solar farm in Wimbish.

Uttlesford District Council should consider whether the chain of companies.

behind this application are likely to successfully achieve their project without unacceptable
risk of damage to the standard of living of the local population and to the environment.

Wimbish Solar Farm - countryside topics etc

No detailed planning application has yet been published for the planned Wimbish Solar Farm, so these comments are based on the public consultation leaflet and the four documents and map already submitted to Uttlesford DC planners.

Top of document .

Local Wildlife Sites

There are several Local Wildlife Sites listed in the documents. UDC is supposed to take these into account when considering an application that may affect them. There is no indication as to how the biodiversity value of these sites will be conserved.

These web sites gives full details of all Wimbish LoWS: Wimbish Local Wildlife Sites

Number	Site name	8.9
Ufd161	Crowney Wood	8.9
Ufd167	Harrison's Wood	1.5
Ufd177	Wimbish Lanes	3500 m

These are the sites closest to the proposed solar farm

Top of document

Tree Preservation Orders

These not mentioned in the documents (nor potential damage to them by the proposed development).

A full list of Wimbish TPOs is available at:

https://wimbish.org.uk/tree-preservation-orders-in-wimbish/

All listed trees in, or close to, the solar farm site should be identified and inspected for condition and likely damage by the proposed construction work.

Top of document

BNG – Biodiversity Net Gain

This new policy requires major developers to ensure that new biodiversity value exceeds the area with loss of diversity caused by the development. Ideally the new, high biodiversity, land should be outside the proposed development area and have public access.

It is claimed:

The development includes proposals for landscape, legacy woodland planting and nature conservation enhancement. The proposals would present considerable opportunity for landscape and biodiversity mitigation and enhancement by providing habitat and landscape enhancements though new planting and the creation of extensive grassland areas to replace arable land and species diverse wildflower meadow grassland.

There are no plans for how BNG requirements will be achieved and the nature of the gains be assessed

Will these be onsite (and behind the security fences)?

Top of document

Sheep Grazing

Grazing solar farms, also known as agrivoltaics, combine solar energy generation with agricultural practices, most commonly sheep grazing. This approach allows land to be used for both electricity production and livestock management, offering several benefits. 

"Sheep act as natural lawnmowers, reducing the need for mechanical or chemical vegetation control, which can be costly and environmentally harmful."

That's the kind of statement the proponents of Wimbish Solar Farm make. In their publicity leaflet they claim that grazing will produce biodiversity gain on the land covered by solar panels. It is true that, in those areas of Britain with many sheep farms, a farmer can add the solar panel land to his own land and make a profit from his combined flock.

In the west of Essex, like Wimbish, practically all farm land is arable and sheep farmers are mostly small scale "hobby farmers". So the main problem with grazing a local solar farm is getting a suitably skilled sheep worker willing to do the job.

For a farm of 60 hectares the flock size would be about 240 head including about 140 lambs fattening for slaughter. The wholesale price per lamb for slaughter ia unlikely to be over £50. Thus the income would be £7000 and expenses would include vets fees, winter feed, and the cost of travel if the shepherd lives at any distance from the solar farm. This renders a sheep farm under an East Anglian solar farm a non-starter economically unless it is subsidised by the company that manages the solar farm (they then avoid the costs of mowing and pesticide the grassland).

Top of document

Electricity from Straw

Straw is a low-value byproduct of cereal farming - the main type of farming in the north Essex area. Straw is a perfect biofuel for generating electricity. The growing cereal takes CO2 as it grows and then releases the exact same amount of CO2 and lots of electrical energy.

A typical cereal crop produces 5 tons of straw per year.

In the straw powered generating plant closest to Wimbish (Ely) 200000 tonnes of straw per year produces 270 Gigawatts of electricity, enough for 80,000 homes.

Wimbish Solar farm will produce energy for 11,000 homes on 60 ha, so 80,000 homes would need about 460 ha of farm land to be destroyed.

The other big advantage of using straw is:

By controlling when the straw is burnt, the electricity can be produced when it is needed - winter and night time. Solar produces nothing by night and less than a third of the summer amount by winter day. Solar power can be stored short term in massively expensive lithium batteries but not long term summer production for winter.

The main power source for solar is light falling on solar panes: these are very expensive and imported mainly from China.

With straw the raw material, the construction of a straw powered furnace like that at Ely uses mainly British workmen and material.

Top of document

Endangered Species

The Scarlet Malachite Beetle Malachius aeneus is one of Britain's rarest insects. One of the most important of the colonies in Britain, adjacent to Parsonage Farm, will be damaged by the construction of the entry buildings at Parsonage Farm.

Once known from only 8 locations in the UK.

In recent years the species has undergone a considerable range contraction and has been listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP).

Top of document

Photo by Dr Chris Gibson by permission from Essex Field Club

Residents' Property

Almost everyone in Wimbish will suffer losses from the construction of the Solar Farm: loss of the enjoyment of the countryside on ancient paths and bridleways, extra traffic on the road and absolutely no financial or employment gain as the solar farm will operate without any staff on site.

The only resident with any financial gain will be the local farmer and millionaire land owner who will get about £150,000 per year for the duration of the life of the solar farm.

The main financial losers will be the owners of two highly valued houses at Parsonage Farm who can expect to lose a very large part of the value of their houses.

Top of document

Footpaths

This is a map of footpaths and bridleways close to the planned development

Details of each numbered right of way are on:

https://wimbish.org.uk/wimbish-footpaths/

It is claimed that these will be unaffected but the new application appears likely to destroy Adcocks Lane – an ancient green lane and at present a wide footpath with hedges containing many mature trees.

The road to Parsonage Farm, a private road which is also a public footpath, will become the access road to the Wimbish site and be a main road rather than a quiet public footpath

There are footpaths that cross the site of the solar farm and will therefore bb destroyed.

This is a map of all the footpaths in the immediate area of the solar farm site. These will cease to be countryside rights of way if not destroyed.

Top of document

What happens when the Solar Farm wears out?

Solar farms are generally designed to last for a period of 25 to 30 years, with their operational life span often determined by the life span of the solar panels themselves. While individual solar panels may continue to produce electricity at a reduced rate after this period, the overall efficiency of the farm can decline, leading to decommissioning or repowering of the project. 

If the company managing the solar farm becomes insolvent, presumably the life span would be much less. In either case, the landowner will receive a brown field site of unusable solar panels the most obvious use for the land will be for housing development even though the developers claim they will return the site to its original state as farmland.

Top of document