Large-Scale Solar

Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth has been refused planning permission to fit his Grade II listed mansion with a solar thermal module. Hounslow Council initially rejected the appeal, stating that the “inappropriate size and positing [of the solar module] would not preserve the architectural and historic significance of the listed building.”

As part of its plans to connect over 25MW of wind and solar energy initiatives to the grid this year, TGC Renewables has begun construction on one of the largest solar projects in the UK. The 3.6MW project, comprising 14,700 PV panels, will be installed over three adjacent fields on a 8.32 hectare site, north of the village of Clawton, Devon.

After the disaster at Fukishima, Germany vowed to never install a new nuclear station again, immediately decommissioning eight plants. Instead it would turn to renewables to generate the energy required to run the country.

Westmill solar farm, located just outside Swindon, is set to become the UK’s first community-owned solar park. The 5MW site has been operating since July last year and is home to more than 20,000 solar modules, producing 4.4GWh of electricity per year.

German solar developer and installer, Kronos Solar has applied for permission to install a 13MW solar park at West Farm, Cosheston in Pembrokeshire.

Anesco has broken ground on one of the first large-scale solar parks since prohibitive cuts to the feed-in tariff were rushed through in August last year. The park represents the renewable energy company’s first step towards installing significant large-scale solar capacity across the UK.

Adding to the growing number of solar installations cropping up in the nation’s capital, the London Fire Brigade has recently been investigating the potential for solar energy generation at over 100 sites.

Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change was invited down to King Athelstan School in Surrey to officially unveil its new solar array.

Hampshire-based Hive Energy has begun consulting on proposals to install a 25MW solar park in Suffolk. The proposed solar park will span 160 acres of farmland in the village of Hacheston and produce enough energy to supply 25,000 homes with carbon-free energy.

UK-based solar module manufacturer Romag and renewable energy installer House Choice have celebrated the 11,000th PV installation completed as part of their three-year partnership.