PROPOSALS for more than 55,000 solar panels in the Lammermuir Hills will be revealed later this month.

Fred. Olsen Renewables is holding four community exhibitions where people can find out more about the plans to produce enough green energy to power more than 23,000 homes.

The solar farm would involve the installation of thousands of solar panels at Crystal Rig Wind Farm, in the Lammermuirs.

The solar panels would be to the west of the majority of the existing turbines and south-east of Garvald.

Rachel Baird, project manager at Fred. Olsen Renewables, encouraged people to attend the exhibitions taking place in Innerwick, Garvald, Dunbar and Longformacus, in the Scottish Borders.

She said: “We are delighted to come back and speak to the communities around the Crystal Rig site about the progress we have made with the solar proposal.

“The turnout we had in January was great and we had some positive feedback.

“We hope local residents will take the time to come and see the plans of what will be our first large-scale solar project in Scotland.”

It is anticipated that the solar panels, if approved, could be in place for 35 years and generate 29.9MW of electricity.

The design being consulted on is based on a standard panel size of 2m x 1m, with the site boundary measuring 76.5 acres.

Developers claim the new scheme would deliver more than £480,000 in community benefits throughout the lifetime of the project.

The neighbouring wind farm has been operational for 20 years and, by 2025, will consist of 102 turbines generating more than 260MW – capable of powering 200,000 homes.

Ms Baird added: “Our proposals for solar at Crystal Rig are a fantastic example of how different renewable technologies can work together to make a site more efficient – delivering a more consistent supply of electricity to the grid.

“The team will be on hand to answer any questions that residents might have on the plans.

“However, if people cannot attend, I would encourage them to view all the information on the website and give us their views.”

The first exhibition takes place in Innerwick Village Hall from 10am to 2pm on May 30, before moving to Garvald Village Hall between 3pm and 8pm.

The following day, an exhibition takes place at the Bleachingfield Centre in Dunbar from 10am to 1pm, before a final display in Longformacus Village Hall from 2pm to 8pm. A final round of consultations is to be held in September, before a planning application is submitted the following month.

For more information, go to www.crystalrigwindfarm.com