Plans submitted for major new renewable energy park in Edinburgh

Map detailing the proposed location for the new renewable energy park.

Plans to build a major renewable energy park including a solar farm and a gas power station on the edge of Edinburgh with the capacity to power 30,000 homes have been submitted.

Developers want to build a 38-hectare renewable energy development comprising solar panels, battery storage, flexible gas generation and associated infrastructure next to an existing electricity substation by Old Burdiehouse Road at Kaimes, very close to the A720 city bypass.

The proposed park would function to provide “resillience to the power network and some baseload electricity.”

The developers, a consortium going by the name Kaimes Renewable Energy Park, have no connection to the existing Kaimes electrical substation and its owners Scottish Power.

Agents representing the consortium refused to identify the company behind the project when contacted today.

A majority of the proposed energy park will be taken up by solar panels capable of producing up to 12 megawatts of electricity.

The panels will be organised in lines, with each line being mounted on to aluminium frames.

Panels will be tilted to face south towards the sun and are expected to be no higher than 2.2 metres.

Next to the proposed solar farm and adjacent to the existing Kaimes electricity substation will be around 15 battery storage units.

The units, which would be similar in size and appearance to a standard shipping container, are capable of providing up to 30 megawatts of power and allow the solar panels to generate power which can be stored and exported to the National Grid.

Proposals for the park also include approximately 12 gas generators, capable of producing 20 megawatts.

The gas generators would be connected directly to the battery storage units and would provide an additional rapid response to supplement and occasionally recharge the batteries.

Kaimes Renewable Energy Park says that gas-fired generation is currently necessary because “batteries do not yet provide a viable economic return on their own.” However, the generators “will comply with all relevant noise and emissions legislation.”

Due to the coronavirus crisis no physical public consultation process relating to the proposals can take place. However, Kaimes Renewable Energy Park will host a four-hour digital Q&A event at an as yet undetermined time and date.

A project specific website will also be created and will include details of any other upcoming virtual public consultation events.