Irish solar company BNRG Renewables has revealed that it has connected two solar farms totalling 30MW in the UK.
The projects, located in Kent and the Isle of Wight are sized 20MW and 10MW respectively.
The 20MW solar farm is located at Sycamore Farm in Kent and covers 50 hectares, generating enough electricity to power over 6,600 homes every year. The 10MW project on the Isle of Wight is located on a plateau on one of the island’s highest points – minimising visual impact and maximising yield. BNRG estimates that the 10MW solar farm will generate enough electricity to power 3,600 households each year it operates.
Construction funding for both projects was provided by Octopus Investments with BNRG and Lightsource Renewable Energy sharing construction responsibilities. Groupotec was lead contractor on both projects.
David Maguire, founder and director of Dublin-based BNRG explained that the Irish solar market holds potential but lacks the political will shown by other markets. He said: “Ireland, like the UK, has huge potential for solar energy, it is unfortunate that we have yet to include solar in renewable energy policy unlike the UK which has seen significant benefit from the roll-out of large-scale solar. He advised that with the recent launch of the Green Paper on Energy Policy in Ireland, there is an opportunity to have solar included in policy and to provide a regulatory framework that allows solar to contribute to the energy mix in Ireland.
BNRG recently won planning permissions for Ireland’s first solar farm at Bishopscourt, Co. Down. Commenting on the achievement, Maguire said: “This is a real milestone development as it’s a first for Ireland. There are a number of areas in Ireland that have higher solar resource than many locations in the UK where we have recently developed successful projects”.
BNRG claims that is currently developing solar projects in seven countries across three continents, including a 15MW plant near Chichester.