Services Spotlight Solar Design

03

SOLAR DESIGN

Ahren Brown, Planning & Environmental Technician at Cogeo

Plans for today that plan for tomorrow - One of the biggest frustrations contractors and developers face is delays caused by changes or amendments to planning permission after consent is granted. For any site design, we follow the principles of:

Be comprehensive – better to have and not need than need and not have

Design in flexibility – before being built, projects can often evolve, none more so than renewable energy

Don’t scrimp on planning fees – make sure you’ve got enough land within the development area to accommodate change

Nowhere are these principles more critical than with solar projects. The solar industry regularly experiences big changes, which can often occur between when a site is initially designed and constructed. Our role is to bridge that gap and provide fit-for-purpose plans.

Did you know?

Any development outside the red line boundary of an approved plan needs a new planning application.

Collaboration with partnered engineers and installers is essential to the development process. Combining our expertise in environmental assessment and solar, we can ensure a planning-compliant design.

Our overarching aim is to provide a solar design that minimises friction from concept to construction considering everything from ecology and drainage to landscape and glint & glare.

The Risk:

Changes to design during the planning process delays the determination of the application

Significant changes can require an application to be withdrawn and resubmitted, resetting the planning determination timescale

Major changes after consent may require a further or new planning application

Non-material variations or amendments have a statutory 8-week determination period post-consent and pre-construction

When varying design from the consent, a non-material amendment is required. The risk is that the council considers the change to be major and not minor. A major change will require a new planning application for the full development.

Solar Design Evolution

Solar Farm planning is an ever-evolving process. The gallery shows how the design is used across a broad spectrum of planning, environmental and construction processes.

Final Design for Planning Submission

Analysing setting and topography

Initial concept design

Basic site model

Photo-realistic photomontage for planning application

Electrical design for grid connection

OUR 4-STAGE PROCESS

Our process combines specialist PV design software with planning and environmental programmes to produce accurate, compliant designs.

1. Understand your site

Work with you to determine the best system. Considering energy demands, site potential and financial feasibility.

2. Consider Constraints

Utilising our experience, consider any constraints:

Ecology Landscape Heritage
Drainage
Topography
Glint & Glare
Access
Root Protection Areas
Noise
Planting Plans

3. Concept and Design

Assess shading, financial analysis and electrical design to provide a detailed layout. Working with our in-house grid connection team towards a DNO-compliant design.

Collaborate to provide an array that maximises the site’s potential.

Consult with installers to ensure the latest technology specifications

4. Finalise a planning resilient design

Including flexibility for further development and amendments pre-construction

Using this approach, we are creating plans for today that are comprehensive and planning-compliant, considering the real-world challenges faced with a changing tomorrow. We can’t predict what technology, panels, inverters and improvements will emerge in the solar industry in the future, but we can plan for it.