News Article
UK’s First Grid Connected Major Project
The UK’s first solar business park has been connected to the National Grid, with 3,000 solar panels now powering Howbery Business Park.
The ground-mounted solar array is expected to generate over 682 MWh of clean electricity a year for the park; an engineering, environmental and water research and development centre. Howbery Business Park accommodates nearly 1,000 employees working for more than 20 organisations. The solar installation, 748kWp in size, is one of the first large scale ground-mounted systems of its kind to be connected to the National Grid under the Government's Feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme. The installation will power over a quarter of the business park and save over 350 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.
Developed by HR Wallingford Ltd., based at Howbery Business Park, and Lightsource Renewable Energy; the solar installation was funded by Octopus Investments and local private investor Andrew Troup. The engineering, procurement and construction was carried by British company Solarcentury, who has built similar parks in Europe, this is its first to be built in the UK after the government introduced a solar FIT in 2010.
John Ormston, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HR Wallingford Group, said: "Howbery Business Park is proud of its green credentials. A centre of excellence with two highly sustainable, BREEAM Excellent rated office buildings and an operational Green Travel Plan, we are committed to leading the way in renewable energy and are proud to be showcasing the UK's first solar business park. Howbery Business Park will be one of only a few business parks in the UK where occupiers are able to secure a direct electrical supply from a solar array."
Derry Newman, CEO of Solarcentury, said: “The solar at Howbery Business Park provides a glimpse of how this technology can contribute to our clean energy future, hinting at the serious role solar power can play in our energy mix. It's fantastic that such a progressive and world class R&D centre continues to lead the way, now powered by 21st Century energy. Solar is not to be underestimated; it is the fastest growing energy technology in the world, simply because it is clean, reliable and a readily available alternative to fossil fuels.”
Investor Andrew Troup said: "The local community has been critically important in making this solar park a reality. It's only been possible to meet the installation deadline because of the support from Wallingford Town Council and Crowmarsh Parish Council and the cooperation and efficiency of South Oxfordshire District Council and the District Network operator, SSE. The support has been widespread”
Paul Latham, Managing Director at Octopus Investments, said: “This site demonstrates that through the right combination of ambition, investment and execution we can make solar power a reality for property owners and investors alike.”
Nick Boyle, CEO, Lightsource Renewable Energy Ltd, said: “Lightsource is proud to have delivered this flagship solar photovoltaics project providing Howbery Business Park with over 25 per cent of its electricity needs. We look forward to helping more progressive organisations source their energy in a sustainable way.”
This is not the first solar development for Wallingford. The Environment Agency's regional Headquarters, Red Kite House at Howbery Business Park, is shaded and powered by solar louvers, also from Solarcentury. There are many hundreds of solar parks now in existence across the world and although there are much bigger installations this particular installation has significance following so close to the government decision to reduce tariffs for 50+Kw.
