A PUBLIC exhibition is being arranged for the autumn to allow residents in Milverton to learn more about new proposals for a solar farm near the village.

Planning permission has already been given for 76 acres of farmland in Preston Bowyer to be turned into a solar energy park.

Now, Ilos New Energy UK Ltd has put forward plans for another 35-acre development off Quakinghouse Lane, Milverton.

Ilos was the original proposer of the Preston Bowyer development before it was later taken on by Uniper and Innova.

The firm will put its plans on display in the Milverton Victoria Rooms between 3 pm and 7 pm on Tuesday, September 22, for villagers to drop in and ask any questions and give their views.

Ilos managing director Kate Covill said: “As developers, we recognise the importance of transparency and keeping the local community informed and involved.

“We are keen to share our very early vision for the project and its potential benefits, and would like to involve the councillors and the community to build a collaborative relationship right from the start.

“We look forward to receiving any suggestions that councillors and parishioners may have.”

Ms Covill said the site would save about 1,800 tones of carbon from going into the atmosphere and generate enough electricity to meet the needs of about a thousand average homes.

She said: “By bringing low-carbon clean energy sources such as hydropower, wind, and solar onto the national grid, we can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, minimise greenhouse gas emissions, and better protect the environment.

“Renewable energy supplies are cleaner, swifter to deploy and less costly to the nation than combustion or nuclear-based power.

“They significantly enhance the UK’s energy security while providing opportunities to diversify rural incomes so the farming community can continue farming.

“As a low-cost technology with minimal construction and operational impacts, solar power is a key component of the UK’s future power policy.

“Under the legal framework of the Climate Change Act 2008, the UK Government has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 100 per cent of the levels recorded in 1990 by 2050, our Net Zero target.”

Ms Covill said all of the company’s sites were assessed from a landscape and visual perspective, taking advice from consultees, typically under a full environmental impact assessment (EIA) level application.

She said unlike most other means of power generation, noise concerns were considered negligible.

Ilos solar farms would be operational for 40 years, after which the equipment and plant rooms would be removed entirely.

Ms Covill said: “The soil quality will be significantly improved by its 40-year ecological programme.

The solar farm construction period and associated traffic would last for about four to six months, with most deliveries happening in the second month.

Ms Covill said Ilos would be requesting an EIA screening opinion from Somerset Council regarding the site.

She said councillors would be kept informed as the proposal took shape, and the company would be arranging a public drop-in session to evaluate the community's comments and suggestions.