Bolney Green Energy Hub

The Proposals

We are seeking to deliver new battery storage technology on the site, alongside an education centre for young people, with the aim of offering an innovative solution to the challenges we face in making our energy network safe, secure and sustainable.

We are seeking to deliver new battery storage technology on the site, with the aim of offering an innovative solution to the challenges we face in making our energy network safe, secure and sustainable.

 

The proposed development submitted to Mid Sussex District Council intends to deliver 200 MW of new battery storage technology at this important strategic location, less than 500m from Bolney National Grid Substation. This is alongside the use of two consented agricultural style barns on site for construction and operational storage and maintenance.

 

The battery facility comprises 184 batteries and 46 inverters, which are substantially smaller than those proposed at the consultation stage, at 9.7m L x 2.1m W x 2.8m H and 6.1m L x 2.4m W x 2.7m H, respectively.

  

Responding to your feedback 

In finalising our planning application for the site, we have responded to the feedback received when the initial proposals were presented to residents and stakeholders earlier this year, addressing key questions and concerns as follows:

 

1) Visual impact: Significant screening is proposed on all sides and we have increased the screening along the southern boundary by 5 metres, to between 12 and 20m, in response to feedback. A 15m wide landscape and biodiversity enhancement buffer will be provided on the western side to protect the Ancient Woodland. To the east, the existing mature planted boundary will be enhanced with a significant 10m wide landscape boundary. A Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment is submitted alongside the application, which predicts that the development will have few overall effects on landscape features and that the new built form features will not typically be visible.

 

2) Noise: The battery storage systems are equipped with noise attenuation and the Noise Impact Assessment submitted alongside the planning application finds that the worst-case noise levels from the facility would have a low impact during the day and night-time period at all nearest noise-sensitive receptors assessed. Noise from the facility would fall into the No Observed Effect Level (NOEL).

 

3) Safety: The proposed systems use Lithium-ion technology and employ the safest of all chemistries, Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP). LFP has a strong track record on thermal safety and contains no toxic heavy metals or carcinogens. Furthermore, each LFP battery cell contains multi-layered protection and is housed in sealed aluminium casing, offering additional protection, excellent thermal conductivity and cooling performance. Each battery system is also equipped with automatic fire detection and suppression systems. Once operational, two permanent staff will be based on site to monitor the facility and there will be a 24/7 security presence.

 

4) Education centre: Feedback received demonstrated that a proportion of the local community were opposed to the education centre previously proposed, with concerns being raised by key stakeholders around lack of local need for such a use, overdevelopment of the site, and potential traffic impact. Envirotech has listened to these concerns and has taken the decision to progress the application without this provision.

 

5) Construction traffic: Residents raised concerns about previous impact of construction vehicles on the condition of Wineham Lane. As such, the applicant has committed to undertaking a road condition review before and after construction, in order to measure and mitigate against any impacts during this phase.

CONTACT US

Economic landscape of the renewables sector

Heat Pumps and Net Zero
While the European Union and the United States have been pushing forward with plans for green growth, despite the opportunities provided by the energy crisis of 2022, the United Kingdom has floundered. This lack of progress is particularly relevant to net-zero commitments in relation to the decarbonization of the household sector which is a serious problem since buildings account for around 19% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
The Distributed Energy Show 14-15 March 2023
The Envirotech team were excited to exhibit at the Distributed Energy Show in Telford last week between 14-15 March 2023.
Green Exporting: United Arab Emirates
This article focuses on the potential for green trade between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Thin Shoots of Green Growth
The United Kingdom has made considerable progress in decarbonizing the generation of electricity in recent decades. State intervention may have helped this transition, but the decline in the coal industry and the growth in wind power capacity through subsidy schemes have meant that the low-hanging fruit is all but picked and the real challenge and cost lie ahead as the transport, construction, and household heating sectors electrify. It has been estimated that electricity generation in the UK needs to rise to meet the demand from these sectors from around 300 TWh to around 550 to 680 TWh by 2050.
“Push Me, Pull You!” Subsidies, Taxes, and Storage
It is difficult to understand the logic behind Britain’s policy toward renewable energy. To meet its plans for a low-carbon economy it has been estimated that Britain requires £1.4 trillion of investment to fund its transition to net zero by 2050 , but in the recent budget, the government has announced plans to tax excess profits at a rate of 45% of some renewable energy companies who have been the recipients of past public support to induce investment to raise generating capacity. According to the statement by Jeremy Hunt justifying the decision: “The structure of our energy markets creates windfall profits for low-carbon electricity generation. “
Reform wholesale electricity pricing before the next crisis
In this paper we argue that the United Kingdom is evolving from a hierarchical vertical linear electricity system to a decentralised complex system. However, as the electricity system’s structural complexity increased, there has been no attempt to modify a broken regulatory system where the politically sensitive price-capped retail price for energy is based on distorted national wholesale prices which no longer reflect actual local market supply or demand conditions for electricity nor provide the correct market signals necessary to attract investment to meet net-zero targets.
Sky News on the importance of batteries
Sky News reports that batteries will become increasingly important to the energy grid as the UK transitions to green energy. Power storage will also become more critical as our electric demand increases.
Stagflation and Net Zero
It is popular to blame the invasion of Ukraine on rising energy inflation, particularly oil and gas prices, but there are sound structural reasons why the cost of generating electricity from these sources will continue to rise globally in the coming years.
EnviroTech’s Energy Station wins award for the most innovative energy project
The EnviroTech team were incredibly honoured to receive the much-coveted 'most innovative energy project' award for their EnviroTech Energy Station, which helps reduce energy cost while providing security of supply.
Britain at risk of winter blackouts, warns system operator.
The Guardian Newspaper reports there is a greater risk of blackouts owing to the closure of coal plants and nuclear reactors.
VIEW ALL ARTICLES

EnviroTech Energy Solutions Ltd, 48 Dover Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 4FF

Copyright 2021 ENVIROTECH.
We use cookies to provide the services and features offered on our websites, to monitor their use and to improve user experience.
Learn more about our approach to your privacy by reading our Privacy Policy. There's more information about cookies available at www.aboutcookies.org.uk