Pathfinder Clean Energy (PACE) has submitted its first UK subsidy-free solar projects into planning.

Two separate planning applications for ground-mounted solar farms, totalling 40MW, have been submitted to local councils in Norfolk.

The projects will provide enough power for more than 12,500 households and would reduce CO2 emissions by around 10,000 tonnes annually.

These projects will also have the ability to co-locate energy storage.

Both located on agricultural land, the Three Bridges site is seven miles north-east of Dereham, while Burgate is situated eight miles north of Norwich.

Subject to planning and financing, the two projects are earmarked to enter operation during the middle of 2021.

PACE currently has a development pipeline of over 1GW of solar projects in the UK and overseas.

The company has solar projects at an advanced stage of development in Canada and Spain, and is soon to start operations in Poland.

PACE Developments director in the UK Alex Ross said: "PACE has developed bespoke grid and constraint analysis techniques to enable it to filter projects efficiently; we have now evaluated nearly 2GW of grid capacity and projects.

"PACE’s UK project pipeline is now accelerating with a target of constructing over 300MW in the UK in the next three years."

PACE managing director Rob Denman said: "We have an experienced and ambitious senior team who have been building a platform and systems in multiple markets to enable us to grow as the global demand for clean energy increases, with a focus on utility scale solar and either co-located or stand-alone battery projects - depending on the regulations and economics."

"Submitting our first subsidy-free projects into planning in the UK is a great achievement and we are targeting mid-2021 for both Three Bridges Solar and Burgate Solar to be constructed.

"Our 80MW Canadian projects should also achieve this milestone in 2021, and we are expecting to have additional projects ready for planning in the UK before the end of this year."