Ridge Clean Energy (RCE) has set out proposals for the Sunny Oaks Renewable Energy Park, an ‘Island first’ hybrid renewable energy project that comes with tangible benefits for the local community.
The proposed ~20MW park, situated South West of Wootton, would pair solar with battery storage. The combination of technologies would deliver efficient, reliable, and stable energy generation.
The associated Sunny Oaks Community Benefit Fund is also projected to provide a minimum of £10,000 per year for the lifespan of the project (up to 40 years), alongside a development team bringing talent and experience for delivering projects with enduring benefits for communities.
Ray Harrington-Vail founder and CEO of The Footprint Trust.
“Now, more than ever the Isle of Wight needs to focus on sustainable development. The Footprint Trust fully supports the Sunny Oaks Renewable Proposal by Ridge Clean Energy. This project will be a positive step forward in reducing our impact on our planet.”
Jonny Murphy, Sunny Oaks Project Manager.
“The Sunny Oaks Renewable Energy Park could help the Isle of Wight adapt to big challenges currently facing communities in the UK – climate change, domestic energy security, and the rising cost of living,”
“We’ve worked closely with Island-based technical teams to not only manage impacts, but also to develop a scheme resulting in biodiversity net gain.”
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Infrastructure would be located on land assessed as moderate to poor quality (not ‘Best and Most Versatile’), that also helps to diversify a local Island business which itself is important to the community.
Ridge Clean Energy held 2 public exhibitions to engage with local communities in May 2022.
The application has now been submitted (its reference is 22/01585/FUL) which can be viewed [https://beta.iow.gov.uk/planning/planning-applications/application-search-view-and-comment/].
Why are we not investing in tidal energy. it is predictable and generates electricity regardless of the weather.
I’d be keen for Tidal Energy/Offshore Wind Farms but you get those miserable lot that will moan about their view out to the middle of the sea being ruined… it’s a shame! We should be taking every opportunity to source renewable energy!
Surely though any gain we make from renewable energy is more than offset by the increasing numbers of people arriving on our shores daily, all needing and taking energy, be it in building more homes for them and for heating the homes and fuel for transport.
Having less people in the UK would be a more cost effective way of limting the future use of energy as ‘two’ soon become several and the demand for energy will only ever increase unless population growth is slowed.
It depends what you mean by “tidal energy”.
If you mean putting a barrier across a river and then generating from the incoming and outgoing flow then there is a massive ecological impact.
If you mean tidal flow generators then they are certainly worth investigating. There is some concern about their impact on marine life, but on the flip-side they create their own marine conservation zones as trawlers can’t operate near them.
There is one planned off of St Catherine’s Point for 2025 which should generate 30MW (enough to power 20% of IW homes). Sadly the NIMBYs are already sharpening their pitchforks.
If you mean putting a barrier across a river and then generating from the incoming and outgoing flow then there is a massive ecological impact. If the scientists are correct about sea level rises caused by global warming, these ducks will loose their mud flats anyhow in ALL estuarys. At least with a tidal barrier, only the mud flats on that river will be affected .
Big issues with the St Catherine’s site, which is why it won’t get funded unless we are prepared to pay at least four times the current wholesale price of electricity….even then there are challenges…. it is on the industry’s reckoning a third tier site…. there are security issues, and some concern about the tide strengths and munitions dump and the distance to grid is another concern…. it is all very well putting these ideas up but the energy transition is going to mean in the next 10 years we will have to pay a lot more for energy, hold for the ride!
I see what you mean about NIMBYs, Worky.
Far too expensive and it doesn’t work the way it has been sold to you. Tidal is a long way off, hydrogen and fusion will get there first
Ah somebody that knows what hes talking about finally
As there was a tidal mill at Wootton over a hundred years since surely a modern turbine would be so much more efficient and gaining energy from the tidal ebb and flow.
Yet any gain from energy will be quickly lost as we allow in ever more people from all corners of the globe adding to the UK’s energy consumption
There should be wind turbines put out the back of the island where the wind really kicks out. They could generate so much power. Let’s be honest though, the people that live where they could go, will kick off because it “makes a humming noise” (in the middle of nowhere)! The other one is it “blocks a view” well hey! That view will change very much for the worst if we don’t start using sustainable energy fast. On an island we have 2 great commodities at our disposal, water/tide & wind. The over 40’s have caused this crisis on our planet, WE need to do whatever we can to rectify it. We can’t turn back time, but we could help. Think! do we really want to be remembered as the generation that destroyed the planet ? I know I don’t.
Please don’t tar all over 40s with that brush. I’m well over 40 myself and distance myself from the general gammonry of certain people in my age group.
The main industry on this island is the holiday industry where holiday makers come to the island because of its beauty. If you cover all the downs in unsightly windmills, which only work if the wind is just right, they will stop coming and there will be even less jobs.
Oh please there won’t be a holiday destination if you continue with this argument the planet which includes the isle of wight is heating up.
Ever been to Cornwall?
Tourism is a major industry there too. They have thousands of wind turbines (not “windmills”, they don’t mill anything) and they don’t put tourists off one bit.
Oh, and modern wind turbines work over a wide range of wind speeds.
Well said re using wind turbines . Disagree on you statistics. Sorry
Oh yes I walked three miles to school, didn’t have fridge till I was 15.One fire in the house,always used the same shopping bag etc etc.
Now youngsters scream if their electrical gadgets are out of charge and drive everywhere.
What happens in few years when these rare earth metal units need scrapping ? They can’t be recycled and won’t work most of the year when we need most energy.Very expensive too.
Crisis what crisis?
More will die when we have no reliable cheap energy than a slightly higher level of Co2 in the air.
When I read the first sentence in your post I was expecting a “Four Yorkshiremen” parody.
On reading the rest I realised you were being serious.
You do realise that this is what you sound like:-
https://youtu.be/ue7wM0QC5LE
Absolutely correct
So we have to import more foodstuffs because of the farm land that this scheme will cover. How exactly will that save carbon?
Errm, because they will generate electricity directly from the Sun instead of burning fossil fuel.
I take it you know that pastoral (livestock) farming is largely carbon positive (it emits more carbon than it absorbs).
You didn’t?
Well you do now.
Why do this so much electricity gets dumped every day at east cowes so why build more solar farms people are probably going to think rubbish but it’s the truth needs looking into by the authorities
Get started time’s running out