In light of Scotland’s reputation for bad weather, relying on the sun to produce green energy might seem optimistic. However, Europe’s most northerly solar farm is poised to be built on an abandoned airfield in the Highlands. Ministers have given their blessing to a 50 megawatt (MW) project in Elgin, Moray, that could power 15,000 homes or 19,000 electric cars for a year. It will be almost four times bigger than the 13MW Errol solar farm in Perth, currently the largest of its kind in Scotland. Details of the project have been disclosed by developers Elgin Energy after it became the first solar farm to win approval from the Scottish government’s energy consents unit, which rules on large-scale projects. As many as 300,000 solar panels are planned on Milltown airfield, a former RAF base owned by the Tennant family, which owns Innes House. It i s estimated the solar farm could generate revenues of more than £40,000 a day. The family said some of the profits will be reinvested into maintaining Innes House, one of the area’s most important historic houses. While Scotland is often regarded as bearing the brunt of the worst UK weather, solar irradiance is similar to Germany, which is home to the largest photovoltaic market in the world. Data published by the Met Office shows that north Scotland was bless ed with 158.8 hours of sunshine last month, the highest recorded in the UK.
Times 27th May 2018 read more »
This huge seacraft is developed by Swiss company PlanetSolar, who wanted to create a vessel which was environmentally friendly and produced zero-emissions. Developed in 2010, the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar is the largest solar-powered boat ever built. Its 500 solar panels can provide 120 kilowatts of energy, allowing the ship to travel around 5 knots.
Business Insider 26th May 2018 read more »
