Elgin Energy has been given the green light by Moray Council to build the largest solar farm in Scotland.
The local authority met earlier this week to grant planning permission for the company to install a 20MW solar farm with 80,000 panels on the Speyslaw site, near Urquhart.
The council also granted permission to build a substation, 20 invertor stations and a CCTV camera system.
All cabling will be underground, which will mean sheep will be able to graze around the panels and Elgin Energy will have to submit a habitat management plan to the council before works can begin.
The chair of the council’s planning committee, Cllr Claire Feaver said a “significant amount of renewable energy” will be generated on the site over the next 30 years.
“The opportunity to continue grazing on the land, together with the habitat management plan, will maintain and enhance the diverse range of species in and around the site. I see this as a win-win,’ she added.
Scottish Renewables’ policy manager, Stephanie Clark, said it is beginning to see more applications for large-scale commercial projects coming forward.
“North east Scotland’s clear skies and longer daylight hours mean the area is attractive to developers,” added Clark.
“Large schemes like this one are able to use that resource to provide clean electricity, which will help Scotland meet its climate change targets.
“Further progress in the solar sector, however, depends on the level of support provided by the UK Government through the Feed-in Tariff and the contracts for difference schemes, both of which remain the subject of much uncertainty,” she said.