Yorkshire’s largest solar farm set to power 20,000 UK homes goes live
Atrato Onsite Energy (Atrato) – the UK’s largest owner of commercial rooftop solar – today announces the opening of the biggest operational solar farm in Yorkshire to date, as support for renewable investment skyrockets.
The £39.4 million solar farm, owned and developed by Atrato, is the company’s largest installation investment to date and has capacity of 55MW – enough clean energy to power over 20,000 homes and cut 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
Located in the market town of Richmond in North Yorkshire, the solar farm will supply one of the largest energy suppliers, OVO, with 49GWh of clean energy annually as part of a three-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
The PPA forms part of OVO’s Plan Zero commitment to provide its customers with cleaner energy that is better for customers and the planet.
The announcement comes just months after the newly elected UK Government sets its ambitions to deliver a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030, which requires the UK’s solar power generation to triple1. At the same time, new data has shown growing public support in the UK for renewables, with 64% of the public in support of new investment in renewables2. Nearly half (42%) of the public do not believe their local councils are doing enough to support renewable energy development3.
Gurpreet Gujral, Managing Director at Atrato Partners, said: “Tripling the UK’s solar capacity by 2030 is no mean feat, however the UK’s potential to achieve it is indisputable. From roof-top installations to record-breaking solar farms of this scale, driving forward solar projects is not only fundamental to reaching the UK Government’s target of a clean electricity system by 2030, but a net zero economy entirely.”
“Today, Power Purchase Agreements are making it easier than ever for businesses to decarbonise operations. Through solar installations, energy providers and businesses more generally can make enormous emission cuts and have certainty over energy supply. Our agreement with OVO will play a fundamental role in meeting the growing demand from citizens across the UK for cleaner and greener energy.”
The solar farm consists of over 93,000 bi-facial solar panels across around 166 acres, equivalent to 93 football pitches. The deployment of bi-facial modules has dramatically enhanced each panel’s exposure to light to improve energy generation by c. 5% compared to a standard mono-facial panel. The installation of this solar farm will also support further renewable development and strengthening of the grid, with a battery storage system to follow.
Susie Leppard, Head of Renewables at OVO, said: “Our Power Purchase Agreement with Atrato Onsite Energy at Skeeby is another example of how the renewable generation sector and retail suppliers like us can come together to enable greater volumes of cleaner energy into the UK’s energy system. This partnership supports our focus to deliver cleaner energy for our customers, through our Greener Electricity add-on, while building a greener grid.”
During the planning phase, the site underwent a rigorous Ecology Assessment. The assessment involved a full Ecology Report and undertook surveys of species, such as the badgers and great crested newts, to assess the potential biodiversity net-gain (BNG) of the site. The findings of the assessment showed that, once planned habitat enhancement activities take place, the site is expected to achieve an on-site net gain of 118% for habitat units, and 56% gain in hedgerow units, dramatically exceeding the requirements of at least 10% BNG of the Environment Act 20214.
The Yorkshire solar farm – which saw an investment of £39.4 million from Atrato – is the company’s largest investment to date. This is followed by Atrato’s £28 million solar farm in Northamptonshire, which today provides Britvic – one of the world’s largest drink suppliers – with 75% of its electricity in Britain. By supplying clean energy to factories in Rugby, London and Leeds through a ten-year Power Purchase Agreement, the Northamptonshire solar farm is powering some of the world’s most popular soft drinks through solar5.
