The Royal Bath & West of England Society has announced that it plans to carry on with work on its 14ha (approximately 5MW) solar photovoltaic park, despite Government’s recently announced feed-in tariff review.
The project, which is the first phase of a £120m regeneration of the society’s site in Somerset, could go towards making the showground energy self-sufficient. However, the Government’s review of support for solar power means that the feed-in tariff rate may be cut from 29p/kWh to just 8p/kWh for a system of this size.
“This consultation renders (the project) completely uneconomic,” said Chief Executive Jane Guise.
“The original plan was for us to apply for planning permission on Wednesday (13 April) and for diggers to arrive on 1 September. That plan remains in place – we are continuing with the planning permission – but we wait to see if the diggers arrive.”
