The largest industrial scale solar farm in the UK has now been connected and is expected to generate over 650 MWh a year. Based in sunny Oxfordshire, this system will be the largest of its kind to supply the national grid.
The actual site of the solar farm is Howbery business park which is home to a number of environmental research and development companies. The 3,000 panel installation should generate nearly a quarter of the business parks required energy, and save in the region of 350 tonnes of CO2 a year. The park is also looking to benefit from the governments feed in tariff scheme whereby government subsidies and payments are made to those supplying clean electricity into the mains.
Contrary to common understanding, the UK’s weather doesn’t make it an unsuitable place for solar panels as the chief executive of Solarcentury who provided the panels stated that “Solar works on daylight, not necessarily direct sunlight and it gets light every day in Britain”
Even though this project is the largest in Britain, the scheme is brought into perspective when you realise that a similar project in Spain or Italy, can be up to 10 times bigger. And yet a recent review of the feed in tariffs, has caused experts to suggest that Howbery could be one of the last large scale schemes in the UK for a while. This is because the rates paid out are being drastically reduced for anyone generating more that 50kW in some cases by more than 70%.
Having said that, the same experts remain optimistic that enough has been done whilst the subsidies were in place to maintain a thriving industry. Especially as the costs associated with solar panels and their manufacture continues to fall.
Lets just hope it’s a good summer.
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