Solar, wind and battery projects near Gorebridge (EH23)
19 solar, wind or battery projects of 150 kW or more are recorded within 10 km of the centre of EH23 (Midlothian): 5 are waiting for a planning decision, 7 approved but not yet running, 1 operational. The largest live scheme is Smeaton Battery Energy Storage System (228 MW battery storage, approved on 29 August 2024, not yet built), 8.2 km away. Offshore, 2 wind farms are recorded within 40 km; the nearest is Forthwind (20 MW, approved, not built), 35.3 km away. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, July 2026 extract.
Projects within 10 km of EH23
Projects of 1 MW and more (12)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated | Council | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salters Battery Energy Storage Systembattery storage | battery storage | 200 | approved, not builtupdated Jul 2025 | Aug 2024 | granted May 2025 | Jul 2025 | Midlothian | 6.2 |
| Penicuik, Moorfoot Hills - Torfichen Wind Farmwind farm | wind farm | 108 | application submitted may be out of dateupdated Feb 2023 | Nov 2023 | — | Feb 2023 | Midlothian | 6.8 |
| Penicuik, Moorfoot Hills - Torfichen Wind Farmbattery storage | battery storage | 50 | application submitted may be out of dateupdated Mar 2023 | Nov 2023 | — | Mar 2023 | Midlothian | 6.8 |
| Falahillwind farm | wind farm | 6.7 | refusedupdated May 2006 | Dec 2004 | refused May 2006 | May 2006 | Scottish Borders | 7.6 |
| Smeaton Battery Energy Storage Systembattery storage | battery storage | 228 | approved, not builtupdated Oct 2024 | Mar 2023 | granted Aug 2024 | Oct 2024 | East Lothian | 8.2 |
| Carcant Windfarmwind farm | wind farm | 6 | operationalupdated Jan 2015 | Oct 2005 | granted Sep 2006 | Jan 2015 | Scottish Borders | 8.6 |
| Mount Lothian Wind Farmwind farm | wind farm | 20.7 | refused on appealupdated Nov 2015 | Jan 2014 | refused Nov 2015 | Nov 2015 | Midlothian | 9.1 |
| Existing Kaimes Substation, Old Burdiehouse Roadbattery storage | battery storage | 49.9 | application submitted may be out of dateupdated Apr 2024 | Mar 2024 | — | Apr 2024 | City of Edinburgh | 9.3 |
| Easter Bushsolar farm | solar farm | 3 | under constructionupdated Sep 2020 | Jan 2019 | granted Oct 2021 | Sep 2020 | Midlothian | 9.6 |
| Wull Muir Wind Farmwind farm | wind farm | 36 | refusedupdated Aug 2024 | Dec 2022 | refused Jul 2024 | Aug 2024 | Scottish Borders | 9.8 |
| Gilston Wind Farm (Lothian)wind farm | wind farm | 18.5 | refused on appealupdated Sep 2013 | Dec 2011 | refused Dec 2012 | Sep 2013 | Midlothian | 9.9 |
| Gilston Wind Farm (Borders)wind farm | wind farm | 14.4 | refused on appealupdated Sep 2013 | Dec 2011 | refused Dec 2012 | Sep 2013 | Midlothian | 9.9 |
Smaller schemes under 1 MW, mostly rooftop solar (7)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated | Council | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butlerfield Industrial Estaterooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.4 | approved, not built may be out of dateupdated Jan 2023 | Nov 2022 | granted Jan 2023 | Jan 2023 | Midlothian | 2.8 |
| Edinburgh College, Dalhousie Roadrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.2 | approved, not built may be out of dateupdated Jul 2023 | May 2023 | granted Jul 2023 | Jul 2023 | Midlothian | 5.1 |
| Hawthornden Castlesolar farm | solar farm | 0.2 | approved, not builtupdated Jun 2024 | Oct 2023 | granted Apr 2024 | Jun 2024 | Midlothian | 6.2 |
| Wull Muir Wind Farmbattery storage | battery storage | — | refusedupdated Aug 2024 | Dec 2022 | refused Jul 2024 | Aug 2024 | Scottish Borders | 7.9 |
| Old Dalkeith Road, Danderhallrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.1 | approved, not built may be out of dateupdated Mar 2022 | Mar 2022 | granted Apr 2022 | Mar 2022 | Midlothian | 8.0 |
| Sainsburys Supermarket, Straiton Mainsrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.6 | application submitted may be out of dateupdated Aug 2023 | Aug 2023 | — | Aug 2023 | Midlothian | 8.6 |
| James Hamilton Way Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | — | application submitted may be out of dateupdated Mar 2022 | Feb 2022 | — | Mar 2022 | Midlothian | 9.1 |
Distance from the average position of the EH23 postcodes, not from your home. Projects of 5 MW and more have their own page with dates and planning history.
By type
| Type | All | Pending | Approved | Operational | Refused | MW in pipeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar farm | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 |
| Rooftop solar | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 |
| Wind farm | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 108 |
| Battery storage | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 528 |
MW in pipeline: pending, approved and under-construction capacity.
Offshore wind farms within 40 km
| Wind farm | MW | Status (REPD) | km |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forthwind | 20 | approved, not builtupdated Aug 2023 | 35.3 |
| Levenmouth demonstration turbine (Fife Energy Park) | 7 | operationalupdated Nov 2018 | 36.2 |
Operational, approved and pending offshore wind farms; distance from the district centre to the REPD grid reference of each wind farm (one point per site, so the nearest turbines can be closer or further). All offshore wind farms in UK waters.
How Midlothian decides solar, wind and battery applications
| Applications | Midlothian | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 11 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 4 (36%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 0 of 7 | 12% |
| Onshore wind refused | 4 of 4 | 45% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 45.4 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 1 / 0 | — |
Is the status up to date?
32% of applications still shown as pending in REPD were submitted more than two years ago, and only 37% of pending records were updated in the last 12 months, so some of them may already have been decided. Near EH23, 8 projects have a status that may be out of date (pending for over two years, or approved with a permission expiry date already passed). Check the council's planning register for the latest decision.