Carse of Gowrie Solar Park Plans Raise Concern That Panels Will Struggle to Find Any Sun to Collect
Developers insist the scheme can run on 'ambient Scottish optimism' during winter.
The Carse of Gowrie, where the sun has been booked in for early next year. Photo: Richard Webb, “Road, Carse of Gowrie - geograph.org.uk - 4515873”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
ERROL — Plans for a vast solar park in the Carse of Gowrie, with up to 500MW of panels and 100MW of battery storage, have prompted one overriding question from residents: “Have you met our sky?”
“I’m not against it,” said one Inchture farmer. “I’m just asking. Solar panels need sun. This is the Carse. We get about six hours of sun a year and we save it for the berry picking. Are they bringing their own?”
The developer says panels still generate on overcast days, a claim locals described as “very optimistic, like a man in shorts in Dundee in November.” More public events are planned for November, the darkest month of the year, which campaigners call “either a brave choice or a cunning plan.”
At press time, the battery element was reported to be “the only part everyone understood, because we all spend winter in low-power mode.”
The real story: Perthshire residents get first look at £250m Halfway Energy Park — 500MW solar + 100MW batteries; more events in November (Daily Record)
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