Frequently asked questions
Ahead of our public consultation as part of the Kilnside Energy Park project, we have compiled a list of the most common questions related to the project, including questions on the planning process, the design of the solar farm and our plans to engage with local stakeholders.
We look forward to speaking to local people directly over the coming months, and to addressing any concerns regarding Kilnside. In the meantime, if you have any questions, or wish to offer your feedback, please get in touch via one of the following means:
Call us
0800 688 9936
Email us
Write to us
Write to Kilnside Energy Park, FREEPOST – SEC NEWGATE UK LOCAL (no stamp required)
Kilnside Energy Park is a solar energy park development which will comprise solar PV panels, battery energy storage and associated electrical infrastructure including underground cabling, onsite substation as well as landscape and biodiversity enhancements.
The project would connect into the National Grid via an underground cable, supplying up to 400MW.
We would lease the land for the operational lifetime of the project. We are working with all landowners whose land is included in the project on a voluntary basis.
We expect to submit a DCO application in October 2026 and this to be determined in 2028. This would mean the project could be operational by 2030.
We expect to apply for an operational lifetime of 60 years as part of our DCO application.
We intend to establish a community benefit fund to support local initiatives and provide benefits to the local community. At this stage, we’d really like to hear from local residents and authorities about what they’d like to see and what would be the most impactful We understand that there will be different views in the community regarding how the fund is governed and which local initiatives it supports. We aim to take a collaborative approach from the start of the project, and look forward to discussing our ambitions in more detail over the months to come.
Aukera intends to build, own and operate Kilnside Energy Park. We’re already doing this across our portfolio of projects in the UK. For more information, see www.aukeraenergy.co.uk.
Location
New energy projects can only connect into the National Grid where there is capacity. There is identified capacity in this region and we have secured an agreement to connect into the transmission network in this area.
After we secured a grid connection, we looked for land close to the transmission network that would be suitable for solar development. We looked for land that is:
- Flat or gently sloping
- Avoids environmental designations such as ancient woodlands or sites of special scientific interest (SSSI)
- Located away from population centres
- Accessible by routes which avoid towns and villages
- Screened by existing hedgerows to help reduce visual impacts
Reflecting this, large parts of the site are identified within the emerging Rutland Local Plan as an Opportunity Area for solar.
The UK needs solar development on rooftops, brownfield sites and the ground to meet its energy needs.
Ground mounted solar farms like Kilnside Energy Park can be deployed quickly and make the most of existing capacity in the National Grid. This is important for delivering new renewable energy in the timeframe the country needs.
The Government’s recent Solar Roadmap (June 2025) includes plans to help speed up delivery of solar on rooftops to supplement this. Rooftop solar on its own would not be sufficient to meet the country’s energy needs.
There are relatively few places in the country where there is capacity in the National Grid to connect new projects. The country needs to make the most of these to meet its energy needs. There is capacity in the National Grid in this area, and we have secured an agreement to supply up to 400MW of energy here. We are considering potential cumulative effects arising from the site’s proximity to Mallard Pass as part of our Environmental Impact Assessment.
We recognise the potential for the project to impact on local residents and we want to improve transparency, minimising the cumulative impact where we can.
The plans
No. A well-designed solar farm includes green spaces between and around the panels, as well as larger areas of land set aside for nature.
Solar panels can be positioned or screened to avoid or reduce impacts on views, ensuring they are integrated sensitively into the landscape.
To inform the design and layout of the project, we are carrying out environmental surveys and will also seek feedback from local residents.
We are at an early stage in preparing our plans and have not yet determined the location of specific components. We are making our early plans public at this time to allow us to seek feedback from residents and technical bodies about our site – this will help inform more detailed plans for public consultation early in 2026. We will make the proposed locations of specific components of the project available at this time.
We oppose the abuse of human rights and forced labour anywhere in the global supply chain. We ask all suppliers to ensure compliance with the Modern Slavery Act Additionally, while we are at too early of a stage to have selected suppliers or identified the precise model of panels required at Kilnside, we are actively strengthening our existing procurement process to make every effort to prevent any negative impact on people and the environment.
We support applying the highest possible levels of transparency and sustainability throughout the value chain and commit to the development of an industry-led traceability protocol to help ensure our supply chain is free of human rights abuses.
Aukera has signed on to Solar Energy UK’s Industry Supply Chain Statement, which is designed to improve transparency and sustainability in supply chains in the solar industry.
Grid connection
At this stage, the exact location of our grid connection point is not known and is subject to assessment work undertaken by National Grid. We are currently exploring a number of potential cable route search areas. Our cable connection to the National Grid will be underground and will not use overhead wires.
We will make more information available about our grid connection once National Grid has shared the outcomes of its assessment work.
Battery storage
Solar farms can have a positive impact on the local environment. When designed sensitively, they support diverse habitats, where native species can thrive between and beneath the panels. Traditional agriculture often prioritises maximising crop yields through intensive land use including the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. These practices can significantly reduce habitat quality and harm pollinators and other important species.
By comparison, once built, solar farms can provide valuable opportunities to restore and enhance biodiversity. Generally, they are quiet places, with little activity or maintenance. This allows the land to rest and wildlife to thrive. Solar farms can support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, while also delivering clean, low carbon energy. Many of these benefits can remain even once physical infrastructure like solar panels is removed at the end of a project’s operational lifetime.
We are looking for opportunities to protect existing wildlife and create new habitats for native species across the site. This could include planting native grasses and wildflowers, as well as hedgerows and trees around the site, and incorporating features like mammal gates within fences.
We will look carefully at potential environmental impacts as we develop our plans – this is a requirement of the planning process for projects like Kilnside. Where we identify impacts, we will look to change our plans to avoid, reduce or mitigate them.
Impacts
Solar farms can have a positive impact on the local environment. When designed sensitively, they support diverse habitats, where native species can thrive between and beneath the panels. Traditional agriculture often prioritises maximising crop yields through intensive land use including the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. These practices can significantly reduce habitat quality and harm pollinators and other important species.
By comparison, once built, solar farms can provide valuable opportunities to restore and enhance biodiversity. Generally, they are quiet places, with little activity or maintenance. This allows the land to rest and wildlife to thrive. Solar farms can support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, while also delivering clean, low carbon energy. Many of these benefits can remain even once physical infrastructure like solar panels is removed at the end of a project’s operational lifetime.
We are looking for opportunities to protect existing wildlife and create new habitats for native species across the site. This could include planting native grasses and wildflowers, as well as hedgerows and trees around the site, and incorporating features like mammal gates within fences.
We will look carefully at potential environmental impacts as we develop our plans – this is a requirement of the planning process for projects like Kilnside. Where we identify impacts, we will look to change our plans to avoid, reduce or mitigate them.
In June 2025, we submitted a comprehensive EIA Scoping Report to the Planning Inspectorate. This was designed to inform their advice on the topics we should consider as part of our EIA. On 31 July 2025, we received the Planning Inspectorate’s Scoping Opinion.
We are in the process of reviewing the Scoping Opinion and this will inform and guide the content of our EIA.
At this point, the project is still in the early stages of its development. Throughout the project’s development, we will develop, update and refine the design, based on consultation feedback and ongoing environmental assessments.
At each stage of the development process, we will be able to provide additional levels of detail, as a design becomes established and key decisions are made.
This means that we may be unable to answer questions at this point about details of the final design, but we will have more information at the next consultation. We encourage the community and other stakeholders to provide feedback at the consultation.
No. To deliver the amount of solar energy generation that the Government has identified as needed to reach net zero by 2050 would require around 0.5% of the land in the UK. This is roughly half of the space currently taken up by golf courses. Early assessments show that Kilnside is mostly located on agricultural land that the Government does not define as the most productive (known as ‘best and most versatile’ land).
More broadly, the Government has identified climate change as the biggest medium to long term risk to the country’s food supply: this could reduce the proportion of ‘Best and Most Versatile’ agricultural land from 38.1% to 11.4% by 2050. Solar farms like Kilnside have a key role to play in combatting climate change. They also support farming in the long run by allowing the soil under panels to lie fallow and recover in quality.
Construction
We are at an early stage in developing our plans. We will develop detailed construction management plans which will set out how we propose to limit the effects of construction on local communities. This will be shaped by feedback received from engagement, along with the outputs of our environmental assessments and technical work. We will present more detail about construction and how traffic will be managed as part of our consultation in early 2026.
We estimate a construction period of 24 months.
We have not yet determined access points for the solar farm site. At this stage, we expect construction vehicles to access the site from the A1 and then to use internal access roads where possible.
We actively seek out local firms and include them in tender processes. For example, Cotswold Seed, an independent family run company, provided bespoke seed mixes for two different grass areas on one of our projects in Ledwyche. One mix was for a meadow containing wildflowers and tufty grass and the other (under panels) needed to be appropriate for sheep grazing.
We additionally employ local site managers, who hold important knowledge of the local area, on our sites, alongside local security firms where required to protect sites.
Decommissioning
We look to use panels and materials which are recyclable where feasible. At this stage it is too early to confirm the exact technology and materials which will be available at the time of construction as well as the recycling technology at decommissioning.
The decommissioning of the scheme will be subject to a detailed Decommissioning Environmental Management Plan. We expect to include a draft Decommissioning Environmental Management Plan with our DCO application.
Consultation
We expect to carry out our pre-application consultation in early 2026. We will be engaging with people living close to the site as well as technical bodies and the local authority ahead of that.