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The first solar farm to feed directly into the UK’s electricity transmission network has gone live near Bristol.
The 49.9MW Larks Green solar farm developed by Cero Generation and Enso Energy is connected to National Grid’s Iron Acton substation.
The array is expected to generate 73GWh of electricity annually. A 49.5MW/99MWh battery storage system will also be installed alongside the solar farm to store surplus generation and maximise the site’s output.
Cero and Enso worked with National Grid to install new switchgear at the site and run a high voltage cable between the substation and solar farm. Until now all of the UK’s solar farms have connected to the country’s lower voltage regional distribution networks.
The connection of a solar farm directly to the transmission network marks a significant step towards meeting Britain’s commitment to a fully decarbonised power system by 2035 by allowing clean energy to be transported over greater distances and for larger projects to connect to the grid.
The government’s recent Powering up Britain report reaffirmed its ambition for a five-fold increase in deployment of solar generation by 2035, with up to 70GW installed – enough to power around 20 million homes.
However, yesterday (4 April) the House of Commons Environment Audit Committee warned the secretary of state for energy security and net zero that unless barriers to deployment are addressed with “some urgency” the government faces a “very considerable shortfall” in meeting its solar target.
One of these barriers is the threshold at which energy projects are considered of national significance and require a development consent order from the relevant secretary of state.
In April, the National Infrastructure Commission urged the government to review these thresholds, suggesting that the 50MW limit for energy projects is too low.
Roisin Quinn, director of customer connections at National Grid, said: “Solar power has a critical role to play in the clean energy transition, so connecting the first PV array to our high voltage transmission network represents a key step on that journey, and a great achievement by Cero, Enso and our engineering teams.
“We want to connect more, and faster, and are working with government, Ofgem and industry to reform the connections process to accelerate Britain’s transition to a cleaner, more secure and affordable energy system.”
Marta Martinez Queimadelos, chief executive officer of Cero Generation, says: “As the country’s first solar project to connect to the transmission network, it represents true innovation that paves the way for others to follow and enable the rapid deployment of much more clean energy.”
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