British renewable energy developer Anesco has this week ushered in a new, potentially transformative era in U.K. solar energy with the official unveiling of the country’s first subsidy-free solar farm.
Located near Flitwick in the southern English county of Bedfordshire, the 10 MW Clayhill solar farm is the first ground-mounted installation in the country to operate without any form of government support, and could pave the way for a solar revolution 2.0 fuelled by lower-cost solar and balance of systems (BOS) components and supported by integrated energy storage.
The Clayhill solar farm has a 6 MW battery storage unit collocated onsite – an additional feature that will ensure the installation becomes an immediately valuable addition to the National Grid.
Claire Perry, MP BEIS minister for Climate Change & Industry, waxed lyrical about the commissioning of such an installation – particularly at a time when it is increasingly clear that no further solar subsidy is likely to be forthcoming from the British government.
“The cost of solar panels and batteries has fallen dramatically over the past few years, and this first subsidy-free development at Clayhill is a significant moment for clean energy in the U.K.,” Perry said.
“Solar panels already provide enough electricity to power 2.7 million homes with 99% of that capacity installed since 2010. The government is determined to build on this success and our ambitious Clean Growth Strategy will ensure we continue to lead the world on the transition to a low carbon economy,” she added.
Anesco’s executive chairman Steve Shine remarked at the plant’s opening that the Clayhill installation proves that the government’s decision to withdraw subsidies for PV does not have to signal the end of solar as a commercially viable technology in the U.K.
“Given our extensive experience with solar and storage projects, we took a fresh look at how we could finance and develop Clayhill without needing a renewables subsidy,” Shine revealed. “We sought the views of our supply chain and with them looked at every aspect of the project – its design, the technical specifications, the use of the very latest technology and the costs of the various components.
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