The Solar Power Station - Webinar

Join us as we talk to Mark Owen Lloyd from Photovolt Development Partners - project lead for Botley West Solar Farm in Oxfordshire - to learn more about his experience planning what could be the UK’s largest solar farm.

We will be using our Botley West project experience to explore the key planning, environmental and connectivity considerations for the project, as well as providing insights and advice on how to address some of the key challenges that can arise when planning a solar development.

Register for our free webinar below ↓

an arise when planning a solar development.

What's happening in the solar market?

With solar farms currently taking up just 0.1% of UK land and the need to increase reliance on renewable energy to meet net zero targets, it’s no surprise that applications for solar farms are on the increase.

Botley West Solar Farm in Oxfordshire is one such development and, if approved, will be the UK’s largest solar farm, delivering 840 Megawatts of clean energy - enough to power approximately 330,000 homes.

The project will boost biodiversity by enriching soil quality and introducing new habitats to provide an attractive area for a variety of wildlife. As well as significantly contributing to Oxfordshire's target of reducing the County's carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.

However, the sector isn’t without its challenges. Grid connectivity continues to cause delays and there has recently been government suggestions that more stringent planning procedures may be in the pipeline, potentially restricting the type of land that can be used for solar farms.

Key solar planning challenges and considerations

Our webinar will explore the Botley West Solar Farm proposal and some of the key planning challenges and considerations. We will be joined by Mark Owen-Lloyd from Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP) the organisation leading the project.

Our experts will discuss:

  • What's happening in the solar market
  • The Botley West Solar Farm proposal - key planning challenges, insights and considerations
  • Biodiversity and ecology considerations
  • Grid connectivity - challenges, implications and solutions

Date: Wednesday 22nd February 2023

Time: 12-1pm

Register

Complete the form below to register and receive an access link.

Meet our speakers

The webinar will be hosted by RPS experts from our UK team. We will also be joined by a guest speaker from PVDP.

Jon Alsop, Planning Director

Jon is a Chartered Town Planner and qualified Urban Designer with over 32 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors. Jon has substantial experience of the processes associated with development, and of the importance of design in delivering successful and sustainable places. Jon has also developed significant skills in negotiating the political and procedural hurdles associated with the planning system, including NSIP projects. Jon has acted as lead planner on major schemes for solar and wind energy, water and waste infrastructure, and the regeneration of major urban sites. Proposals for development in sensitive rural areas, AONB and Green Belt have also featured strongly in his experience.

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Jon Edinborough, Associate Director - Utility Infrastructure

Jon has led the Utilities team at RPS for five years, during which time the team have negotiated with Distribution Network Operators on a number of large grid connections for both import and export. Jon and his team are familiar with early engagement with both the incumbent DNO and, if necessary, the National Grid itself in order to inform programme and magnitude of cost.

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Nick Betson, Technical Director

Nick is a highly-experienced ecologist and project manager who has been with RPS for since 2007, setting up and growing the RPS Southampton Ecology Team since 2009. During this time, he has managed the ecology component of 400+ projects, including large-scale infrastructure. 

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Guest speaker - Mark Owen-Lloyd, Photovolt Development Partners

Mark spent twenty years in the City of London as a futures trader before joining E.On UK as Head of Power and Carbon Trading. After moving the business to Duesseldorf, he left and returned to London, setting up his own energy trading and consultancy business. In 2016, he was part of the KKR team bidding for Dutch utility Eneco. In 2019. Mark joined Photovolt Development Partners to develop Botley West Solar Farm, with responsibility for the Grid connection and optimising the power output, as well as communications. 

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