The UK’s first subsidy-free solar farm will be officially opened
today by Climate Change Minister Claire Perry.
The 45 acre Clayhill solar farm and energy storage facility near
Flitwick in Bedfordshire, built by energy provider Anesco, is
made up of over 30,000 solar panels - enough to power 2,500
homes.
The solar farm will be the first in the UK to be built and
operated without Government subsidy, following a fall in the cost
of solar panels by two thirds since 2010. To date the industry
has successfully installed 12GW of solar capacity across the
country.
Battery technology also has an important role to play in making
renewable energy a viable part of the UK’s energy network by
ensuring energy can be captured and stored for use when needed.
The Clayhill development features five battery storage units.
These help maximise the usable output from renewable power
sources such as solar, which generates different amounts of
energy depending on the weather.
, Minister for Climate Change
and Industry said:
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 UK.
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.
The Government expects to see more developers install and connect
subsidy-free sites later this year.
Steve Shine OBE, Anesco’s Executive Chairman said:
For the solar industry, Clayhill is a landmark development and
paves the way for a sustainable future, where subsidies are no
longer needed or relied upon. Importantly, it proves that the
Government’s decision to withdraw subsidies doesn’t have to
signal the end of solar as a commercially viable technology.
This landmark moment for the clean energy industry comes after
the Government set out its plans for a smarter energy
system which set out a future in which energy providers
will take advantage of new technologies such as battery storage
to benefit consumers.
This was followed by a record amount of renewable capacity being
secured in the latest contracts for
difference auction and new Government measures to
accelerate investment in clean growth by building on the UK’s
strength in green finance. There
was also confirmation from the Prime Minister that dirty coal
generation would end by 2025.
Today, National Grid announced that more than half the UK’s
electricity came from low carbon sources in the last three
months, making it the ‘greenest’ summer on record.
