UK's first solar-powered business park
Today, the Howbery Business Park in Wallingford, Oxfordshire was connected to the National Grid under the Government's feed-in tariff scheme. A ground-mounted solar array consisting of 3,000 solar panels now powers the site, which is claiming to be the first solar-powered business park in the UK.
The installation is 748kWp in size and was developed by HR Wallingford and Lightsource Renewable Energy. It 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 scheme. It is expected to generate more than 682MWh of clean electricity annually.
More than 25% of the site will be powered by solar PV panels, which will enable a saving of more than 350 tonnes of CO2 each year. The project was funded by Octopus Investments and also received the backing of Andrew Troup, a local private investor. Procurement, engineering and construction was undertaken by Solarcentury - a company that has a record of building similar parks in Europe, but they said this was the first project of its kind in the UK.
According to John Ormston, Chief Executive at HR Wallingford, Howberry Business Park has always had a green approach. He said "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." It will join a small community of business parks in the UK where tenants are able to get electricity directly from a solar array.
With substantial cuts to the feed-in tariff scheme being proposed by the Government, the Howberry project is being cited as a model for how solar power can be deployed as a central feature of a sustainable energy policy, and it is hoped that the Government may reconsider its plans. No energy technology is growing faster than solar, and it would plainly be a mistake to stifle that growth as we look to implement systems that that will help top safeguard the future of life on Earth.
The installation is 748kWp in size and was developed by HR Wallingford and Lightsource Renewable Energy. It 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 scheme. It is expected to generate more than 682MWh of clean electricity annually.
More than 25% of the site will be powered by solar PV panels, which will enable a saving of more than 350 tonnes of CO2 each year. The project was funded by Octopus Investments and also received the backing of Andrew Troup, a local private investor. Procurement, engineering and construction was undertaken by Solarcentury - a company that has a record of building similar parks in Europe, but they said this was the first project of its kind in the UK.
According to John Ormston, Chief Executive at HR Wallingford, Howberry Business Park has always had a green approach. He said "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." It will join a small community of business parks in the UK where tenants are able to get electricity directly from a solar array.
With substantial cuts to the feed-in tariff scheme being proposed by the Government, the Howberry project is being cited as a model for how solar power can be deployed as a central feature of a sustainable energy policy, and it is hoped that the Government may reconsider its plans. No energy technology is growing faster than solar, and it would plainly be a mistake to stifle that growth as we look to implement systems that that will help top safeguard the future of life on Earth.
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