German-headquartered developer, Goldbeck Solar has confirmed that it constructed and connected 75MW of UK solar capacity in the first quarter of 2015.
The developer was able to successfully connect eight solar projects to the grid before renewable obligation (RO) funding was scrapped for all solar projects over 5MW on 1 April 2015.
Goldbeck Solar stated that many of the projects involved in complex engineering and construction steps in order to successfully connect the projects before the RO deadline.
The company’s Carloggas project in Cornwall, represented a special challenge explained Bjorn Lamprecht. He explained: “The site possesses a difficult-to-penetrate granite surface, in which 70% of the foundations had to be pre-drilled. These substructures are now anchored up to 1.6 meters deep in order to withstand wind and weather.
“In addition to the challenging ground conditions, special logistics were required for this project. According to provisions within the planning permission, only tractors were allowed to drive on the site. Project components had to be delivered to a staging site 2 kilometres away and then transferred from lorries to agricultural machinery”
Looking ahead, Lamprecht acknowledges that the company will look to the sub-5MW market for future developments. He said: ʺWe will develop fewer large projects and more small plants.” In addition, the company is looking to develop rooftop PV plants in the UK, following strong governmental support for pushing development in the sector.
Goldbeck Solar claims to have connected 250MW of total PV capacity in the UK.