Nordic energy giant Vattenfall is aiming to install a 5MW solar array at the site of its Parc Cynog wind farm in Camarthenshire, 14 years after the location was first developed.
The firm addressed local residents near to the Castle Lloyd Farm site earlier this week stating its intention to develop a solar farm ahead of submitting a planning application later this summer.
The Parc Cynog wind farm came on stream in 2001 and its 11 turbines have a total installed capacity of 8.4MW, meaning that the addition of a 5MW solar array would take total renewable energy generation at the site to 13.4MW.
The 21-acre site will have a generation capacity of 5.5MWh per year and the company is also looking to support local community groups by helping them install rooftop solar systems at no cost.
“We’re keen to assess the potential of solar power on the Parc Cynog site. We want to explore the full renewables potential of this site and see what’s possible to support Wales’ ambitious green energy plans and targets,” Daniel Willis, associate project manager for Parc Cynog solar array at Vattenfall, said.
Stockholm-headquartered Vattenfall owns a large number of nuclear and fossil fuel burning sites but has a strong affiliation with wind energy in the UK as the operators of the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, currently the third largest offshore wind project in the world.
Vattenfall joins a list of companies with wind interests in the UK looking to branch out into solar in the wake of the Conservative government’s decision to withdraw subsidy support for onshore wind a year earlier than planned.
Banks Group announced last month that it is looking to move into solar with its first 5MW solar farm in the north east, while Good Energy last week teased at a new “strategic direction” which is to be unveiled in September.