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Biggest Community Solar Farm Project in Scotland Moves Forward

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14 Apr, 2025

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

A major new community solar project is coming to the Isle of Arran in Scotland. The 6 megawatt Glenkiln solar farm will be Scotland’s largest entirely community-owned solar farm.

The £5 million ($6.48 million) project proposal recently gained planning approval and will move forward in securing construction financing, Energy Global reported. According to Arran Community Renewables (ACR), the local Community Benefit Society behind the project, Glenkiln solar farm will generate enough energy to power around 1,250 households per year by the time it is in operation in 2027.

The site will span 8.6 hectares (20 acres) and, according to the proposal, will include around 10,000 solar panels. The project proposal also mentioned goals to incorporate sheep grazing around the solar panels and biodiversity incorporated in the design to benefit local wildlife.

“We are very pleased to be working with ACR to establish another renewable energy project on Glenkiln which provides further diversification of our business and financial benefit to the wider Community,” Kenneth Bone of Glenkiln Farm, who is allowing ACR to lease the site for solar development, said in a statement. “The solar farm will complement our existing hydro scheme perfectly with hydro generating power during wet periods and solar in drier spells. Another benefit is that the layout of the solar panels allows us to continue to graze sheep between the solar panel arrays. Together, both schemes on the farm will contribute significantly to Arran becoming net-zero.”

An image of sheep grazing alongside solar panels, in the proposal for the Glenkiln solar farm. Arran Community Renewables

According to ACR, this major community solar project will help Scotland reach its goal of zero emissions by 2045 while also reducing fossil fuel dependence and increasing energy resiliency on the Isle of Arran.

“With this decision, we move one step closer to realising the full potential of true community-led renewables and the benefits that a project like this can bring to the island,” said Chris Grainger, director at ACR, as reported by Energy Global. “The hard work is not over, but we look forward to the next stage — securing construction finance, growing our local membership and getting boots on the ground.”

This is the first energy project from ACR, The Herald reported. Although Scotland is moving toward cleaner energy sources and will soon close its only oil refinery, there has been apprehension and backlash over renewable energy development. Offshore wind energy has significantly helped power Scotland, but when it comes to solar, citizens have expressed concerns over loss of farmland and the reliability of solar in a rainy climate.

However, supporters of the developments are confident that these projects, particularly community renewables, will provide reliable, emissions-free energy for years to come.

“We are delighted to be supporting Arran Community Renewables as they prepare to launch their community share offer for what will be Scotland’s largest community solar farm,” said Morven Lyon, Head of Democratic Finance at Development Trust Association (DTA) Scotland, as reported by Energy Global. “This project is a stellar example of a community taking the lead in the renewable energy transition, ensuring that the long-term benefits are shared equitably and sustainably.”

The post Biggest Community Solar Farm Project in Scotland Moves Forward appeared first on EcoWatch.

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ABB receives EPD status for gearless mill drive ring motor

ABB receives EPD status for gearless mill drive ring motor

ABB has gained Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) status for its Gearless Mill Drive (GMD) ring motor — technology used to drive large grinding mills in the mining industry.

An EPD is a standardised document that provides detailed information about the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle. Based on a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, the EPD highlights ABB’s commitment to transparency, environmental responsibility and supporting customers in making informed decisions on sustainability in their supply chains.

ABB analysed the environmental impact of a ring motor across its entire life cycle from supply chain and production to usage and end-of-life disposal. The study was conducted for a ring motor of a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill with an installed power of 24 MW and was based on a reference service life of 25 years.

“Sustainability is at the core of our purpose at ABB, influencing how we operate and innovate for customers,” said Andrea Quinta, Sustainability Specialist at ABB. “By earning the Environmental Product Declaration for our ring motor, we emphasise our environmental stewardship and industry leadership for this technology. We adhered to the highest standards throughout this process, as we do in the ABB Ring Motor factory every day. This recognition highlights to the mining industry what they are bringing into their own operations when they work with ABB.”

The comprehensive LCA was conducted at ABB’s factory in Bilbao, Spain, and was externally verified and published in accordance with international standards ISO 14025 and ISO 14040/14044. It will remain valid for five years.

The ring motor, a key component of the GMD, is a drive system without any gears where the transmission of the torque between the motor and the mill is done through the magnetic field in the air gap between the motor stator and the motor rotor. It optimises grinding applications in the minerals and mining industries by enabling variable-speed operation, leading to energy and cost savings.

The full EPD for the ABB GMD Ring Motor can be viewed on EPD International.

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