The new solar farm is located on 35 acres of grade 3 arable land just outside Lovedean, Hampshire. Lightsource Renewable Energy developed the project, and will own and operate the plant for the next 25 years. Conergy was the general contractor, responsible for engineering and layout, construction and component supply.
The system comprises 18,500 solar panels on Conergy SolarLinea mounting systems and will produce around 4,600 megawatt hours of clean solar power per year, enough to supply around 1,350 homes.
Conergy UK managing director, Robert Goss, said: “Solar is an affordable and reliable means to reduce supply pressures on the National Grid, and can be deployed on a large scale where there is the right site in terms of land use and grid connections. Conergy has built 430MW of solar farms around the world so we are well placed to deliver on what is burgeoning demand in the UK.”
Nick Boyle, ceo of Lightsource, added: “It has been a pleasure to work with Conergy again. We were faced with yet another tight deadline and they delivered. The results of solar PV installations in the first quarter of this year show we are well on track in achieving the government’s target of 22GW installed by 2020. We have seen the industry grow from strength to strength in a very short space of time. It is my firm belief that the UK now has one of the most robust solar markets in the world in which Lightsource has played a significant role and will continue to do so alongside our industry partners.”