Exagen has been granted planning permission for the 109MW Holly Lane Energy Park in the West Midlands.
The project includes a solar farm of approximately 34MWp and battery energy storage system with a capacity of 75MW.
The solar farm will deliver energy equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 9,200 UK homes and the project will significantly boost biodiversity, delivering a net gain of more than 123% in habitat units, the developer said.
The approval marks Exagen’s third planning consent following approval on 520MW of battery storage systems in Leicestershire and Gloucestershire in 2024.
The planning application was submitted to both Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Warwick District Council in October 2023 as the project is split across the two council areas.
Following an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate, the solar and battery project will now progress through the next stages of development – and once operational, it will generate power equivalent to approximately 9,200 homes with clean electricity.
The solar farm will be connected to the substation via a buried cable that follows the public highway between the two parcels.
The 75MW battery storage system will be co-located with a new substation, adjacent to the point of connection into the 132kV overhead line which crosses the smaller eastern site.
The project has specifically been designed to have limited visual impacts, with substantial existing mature screening from hedges around the site and set back from any nearby residential properties, Exagen said.
The timing of the appeal decision is critical with the project having an accelerated grid connection date in 2027.
Exagen said its focus is now on getting the project ready to build so it can begin generating renewable energy for the UK grid.
In January 2024, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council agreed a report for its net zero commitments.
This showed that 430MW of renewable energy generation capacity is required by 2041, of which just 10.6MW is currently installed.
The Holly Lane solar farm will contribute 6% of the capacity required to meet the council’s target, Exagen said.
