The east-west layout is one of the many important elements of this proposal that needs to be understood.
It is favoured by the developers because it affords a denser layout of panels, covering more of the ground with solar panels. In the words of one of the directors “We just realised how much more we could get“. Or in other words – more profit for them.
The layout of these panels will be unlike any you have ever seen before. They will be higher, more densely laid out, east-west in orientation, and almost endless. Up until now only deserts have this sort of solar power station.
We need to examine the consultation material very carefully. The image below is from the ‘user-friendly’ May 2018 newsletter. 
Look closely and it makes no sense. The horizontal gap is 2.5 metres, and the height is shown as 3 to 4 metres. On their diagram the horizontal gap is visually larger than the height. In reality these solar panels will be much higher than the gap.
If you’re having trouble visualising this, then think about the London double-decker Routemaster buses – they are 4.39 metres high and 2.5m metres wide.
Image credit: califlier001