Harnessing the sun – for everyone

Jersey Electricity has strict evaluation criteria for project sites that reflect the special characteristics of Jersey. We have evaluated nearly 200 potential project sites to find suitable locations, including brownfield sites such as glasshouses and sites in the Built-Up Area. The vast majority of these have fallen away as not being suitable for ground solar schemes.  We consider many factors such as visual impact, land quality, biodiversity impacts and proximity to Listed Places and to the grid itself.

All projects seek to:

• Minimise any negative impacts on the local area.

• Offer significant biodiversity and ecological improvements, and be managed to maximise these benefits.

• Provide opportunities to maintain the land in agricultural use, but also provide potential for innovation in new agriculture.

• Produce local renewable power cost-effectively to keep electricity prices down.

Agrivoltaics is the use of land for both generating energy and farming. Jersey has an excellent opportunity to become a leader in ”agrivoltaics” research, especially involving novel growing practices, attracting new entrants to agriculture, and diversifying farming practices.

Agrivoltaics aims to reduce some of these impacts, for instance, protecting plants and livestock against scorching, heavy rain, and hail damage.

Studies show that solar panels create a micro-climate effect that can boost soil humidity and water retention, decrease peak temperatures through shading, and extend the growing season by providing shelter from sun, wind, and frost. Many crops are naturally partially shade-tolerant. Bi-facial solar panels allow sunlight to pass through them, which allows us to control the light levels beneath the panels. Jersey Electricity is using bi-facial panels on all of its solar farm projects.

JE’s agrivoltaic partnerships provide an opportunity for diversification of agriculture, with advanced systems making commercial and market gardening more feasible. This creates a potential economic opportunity for Jersey, diversification away from large scale farming (in which the Island may find difficulty competing) as well as providing food resilience and security for the local market.

We use bi-facial solar panels for our ground-mounted solar arrays, meaning some light travels through the panels to the ground below. This allows crops to be grown underneath while also increasing energy generation.

A solar array enables continued agricultural use of the fields. JE willingly signs up to a Planning Obligation Agreement for each site, meaning the sites must remain in continued agricultural use. JE is providing financial support into novel farming methods that could allow the local sector to adapt to future needs. Our goal is to work with local farmers to help create new farming opportunities that can co-exist alongside energy generation.  

One of the key considerations for site selection is the amount of existing screening around a potential site. We look to improve existing hedgerows and tree-lined boundaries by “gapping-up” (planting new saplings and whips into gaps) and planting new, native hedgerows to further improve screening. 

Placing solar farms on flat south-facing land or gentle slopes also helps to minimise the impact on the landscape. Whist existing natural screening is sought, shading needs to be avoided in the design of the panel layout, so the site can yield optimum electricity generation. A landscape and visual impact assessment (LVIA) accompany the planning application.

No widespread ground levelling is required and there is practically no loss of soil coverage as enough sunlight and rain can get through/between the panels to maintain healthy plant life. Resting the land from intensive arable agriculture improves carbon sequestration, increases the organic content of the soil, which significantly increases the water holding capacity. This means that food risk is reduced, and soil health and quality are improved.

Our solar panels have no moving parts (we are not presently using tracker solar, which is substantially more expensive to install and maintain). There may be some low-level noise from the fans, which can switch on in high temperatures used to keep electrical infrastructure equipment cool. The silence of a solar farm is one of the things visitors often comment on.

Solar panels are attached to an aluminium mounting system, which is bolted to galvanised steel posts that are driven into the ground. This avoids the need for a concrete base platform and makes it easier to recycle the system at the end of its life. Other than foundations for any on-site kiosk (which can easily be removed), there is no concrete used in foundations for the panels themselves. This makes it easy for the site to be fully restored back to natural soil or grass in a better state than when the field was first converted for solar.

Once consented, and depending on the size, the main installation works take approximately 12-16 weeks. There are usually some preparatory works like constructing access tracks and building fences.

Solar modules are made to absorb as much light as possible, and not to reflect it. They are light converters and have extremely low reflection levels, which increases the efficiency of the cell. Any reflection that may occur might be caused by the mounting structure and would be limited, as the sun’s position changes all the time. 

Solar farms have been installed near airports worldwide. There have been no reports of disturbances from environmental tests or from open-space solar farm usage. In fact, pilots have been reported to use solar farms as visual markers for navigation. That said, surveys are in any case done to ensure that any solar farms do not have an adverse impact on flight operations.

All JE’s solar sites adhere to a Restoration Obligation, which forms a part of the Planning Obligations Agreement. Restoration will happen automatically, without intervention, at the end of the consent period which is usually 40 years. This restores the land to its original state that was in place before the solar farm, with added benefits of improved biodiversity, soil quality, and new/reinforced native hedgerows.