BayWa r.e. renewable energy GmbH has begun construction of a 19.5MW solar farm at the disused Parham Airfield in Great Glemham, Suffolk.
The solar farm will use polycrystalline modules from both Trina and Yingli, the German developer expects the plant to be completed in October.
When energised, the plant is anticipated to generate around 19,000,000kWh per year, enough to power around 5,000 local homes. The 19.5MW solar farm will negate the emission of around 277,000 tonnes of CO2 over a 20-year period.
The UK market has become increasingly important for BayWa r.e., with close to 40MW of large-scale solar currently under construction, with a further 10MW scheduled to start shortly. In addition, the company has scheduled projects with at least the same capacity again for 2014 alongside expanding its network of local project developers and service providers.
Large-scale solar in the UK has played a pivotal role in the solar sector’s growth in 2013. Writing exclusively for Solar Power Portal, Finlay Colville vice-president of NPD Solarbuzz revealed that more than half of the 802MW installed in the first half of the year was >5MW – highlighting the scale of development under the renewable obligation (RO) mechanism.
BayWa r.e. Solar Systems, part of the BayWa r.e. renewable energy group of companies, will be exhibiting at this year’s Solar Energy UK on stand D10.