A 21-turbine wind farm that could power 24,500 homes is being planned for the Scotland-England border by Renewable Energy Systems (RES), News & Star reported recently. Location would be at Solwaybank, eight kilometers southwest of Langholm, north of Longtown and Gretna, a spot considered for its “excellent wind speeds.”

An installed capacity of 42 megawatts (MW) is expected from the wind farm. Each turbine will have a maximum blade tip height of 126.5 meters and will be rated at 2MW. Local firms will help construct the turbines, aided by a community fund that will support nearby projects. Construction, depending on the weather, may last from nine months to a year.

Scotland targets to source 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. The Solwaybank wind farm is poised to help Scotland reach the target while contributing to the community’s economy, Solwaybank’s project manager Tom Fewster told News & Star.

A full planning application for the project has been submitted to the Dumfries and Galloway Council. The planning application and Environmental Statement (ES) are open for public view at the Lockerbie council offices. A decision may be released next year.

The RES Group develops and operates renewable energy projects globally. It has a portfolio of 4,000 megawatts of constructed projects and several thousand megawatts under development. Its wind farms around the world have a combined capacity of 450 megawatts.


-  Jen Balboa

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Sources:

¹ http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/plans_for_21_turbine_windfarm_near_england_scotland...
² http://www.res-group.com/about-res/who-are-we.aspx
³ http://www.linkedin.com/companies/res-group