Proposals have been submitted for a massive solar farm at Blackpool Airport that will also support a huge, data centre powered by renewable energy. As well as supporting the new Silicon Sands data centre, the proposed 20MVA solar farm would generate electricity for the airport and enable Blackpool Council to reduce its overall net electricity consumption by up to 75%.

► Proposed DC will use liquid immersion cooling

► Waste energy will be utilised for heating

The proposed Silicon Sands high-performance data centre would be located to the campus north of the current airfield and make use of liquid immersion cooling with waste energy being used in a district heat network.

It is also envisaged that the power generated from the solar farm will help support the next generation of sustainable hybrid/electric battery powered aircraft. If approved, Fylde Council says that the solar farm could be operational by the end of the decade.