A new 55MW solar development in Yorkshire has today (24 October) come online, becoming the region’s largest operational solar farm.
The Skeeby project, located in Richmond, North Yorkshire, is owned and operated by Atrato Onsite Energy, which invested £39.4 million into the development. Atrato has signed a three-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with UK utility OVO Energy, which will receive 49GWh of electricity each year from the site.
The solar farm is made up of over 93,000 bifacial solar panels, spread across the 166 acre site. According to Atrato, the use of bifacial modules will improve energy generation by around 5% compared to mono-facial panels. The company also notes that a battery energy storage system (BESS) will be installed on site at a later date, the capacity of which it has not yet revealed.
Gurpreet Gujral, managing director at Atrato Partners, said: “Tripling the UK’s solar capacity by 2030 is no mean feat, however the UK’s potential to achieve it is indisputable. Driving forward solar projects is not only fundamental to reaching the UK government’s target of a clean electricity system by 2030, but a net zero economy entirely.”
“Today, PPAs are making it easier than ever for businesses to decarbonise operations. Our agreement with OVO will play a fundamental role in meeting the growing demand from citizens across the UK for cleaner and greener energy.”
Susie Leppard, head of renewables at OVO, said: “Our PPA with Atrato Onsite Energy at Skeeby is another example of how the renewable generation sector and retail suppliers like us can come together to enable greater volumes of cleaner energy into the UK’s energy system.”
The UK has untapped solar potential
A recent contributed Solar Power Portal blog from Gujral notes that the UK’s solar market could, with the right support, rival that of some of the world’s sunniest countries, including Australia. He states that “the UK’s sheer potential to capture commercial rooftop solar […] will put the UK on the global stage as a solar superpower”, adding that the increased uptake of PPAs by businesses is a key part of the UK’s clean energy future.
For its part, Atrato, which is the UK’s largest installer of commercial rooftop solar, has made significant moves in the solar PPA sector. Last year, the firm signed a major solar PPA with supermarket chain Tesco, which would also see the installation of solar PV at a number of Tesco stores in the next three years.
