BayWa r.e. provides updates on UK solar farm projects

Bracks solar farm has achieved commercial operations and is now operating. The solar farm, which is located approximately 2 km to the east of Wicken in Cambridgeshire, produces enough clean energy to supply 8000 homes with green, renewable energy per year.

The completion of this project brings the total solar capacity installed by BayWa r.e. in the UK to just over 350 MWp. Construction on Bracks solar farm started in September 2022, and the project was sold to the UK’s Railways Pension Scheme, managed by Railpen Limited, at the end of last year. BayWa r.e. will provide long-term O&M, as well as commercial asset management services for the solar project.

In partnership with Grüne Energien Solar GmbH, BayWa r.e. has recently received planning consent for the development of the Clump Farm and Hill Farm solar projects in Leicestershire. With installed solar capacity of 49.9 MWp and 18 MWp respectively, these projects will be able to supply up to 22 000 Leicestershire homes with green energy per year in what is a major contribution to both Hinkley and Bosworth Borough Council’s and Blaby District Council’s environmental objectives.

The development teams have identified opportunities to create ecologically rich environments on both sites to achieve a ‘biodiversity net gain’ through the creation of new wildflower meadows and planting new native hedgerows.

Now that consent has been granted, the Clump Farm and Hill Farm solar projects should commence construction in 2025. Joining several similar BayWa r.e. projects progressing through planning, these will significantly contribute to the UK government’s net zero goals and its requirement for an average of 3000 MW/y in additional solar power.

John Milligan, Managing Director at BayWa r.e. UK, commented: “Solar farms are essential to achieve the UK's goal of net-zero carbon by 2050 and ensure homes and businesses can be powered by clean, renewable and domestically generated energy. The successful commercial operation of Bracks solar farm, as well as the approvals for Clump Farm solar and Hill Farm solar are testament to the hard work put in by our team. With a development pipeline of 1.9 GW across solar, wind and storage projects, we are looking forward to delivering more projects over the coming years.”

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