One of the UK’s largest solar farms is now online and can power 20,000 homes

One of the UK’s largest solar farms, a 55 MW project, is now officially online, providing enough power for over 20,000 homes.

The solar farm, developed by Atrato Onsite Energy, is also the fourth largest in the entire country, marking a major milestone for renewable energy in the UK.

The solar farm, which cost £39.4 million to build, is located in Richmond, North Yorkshire, and it covers an impressive 166 acres – that’s about 93 football fields. With over 93,000 bifacial solar panels, this site is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 11,000 tonnes annually.

It’s part of a broader power purchase agreement (PPA) with energy supplier OVO, which has set a target to achieve net zero by 2035. This solar farm will supply OVO with 49 GWh of clean energy annually. The PPA is a three-year commitment.

Atrato is the UK’s largest owner of commercial rooftop solar, and this solar farm is Atrato’s largest solar installation yet. Gurpreet Gujral, managing director at Atrato Partners, said, “From rooftop installations to record-breaking solar farms of this scale, 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.”

The UK government’s ambitious target to reach a net zero electricity system by 2030 requires the UK’s solar power generation to triple. According to recent data, public support for renewables is also on the rise, with around 64% of people in the UK backing new investments in green energy.

In addition to generating clean energy, the Yorkshire solar farm underwent a rigorous ecology assessment during its planning phase. Once the planned habitat enhancements are completed, the site is expected to achieve a significant net gain in biodiversity that will exceed the 10% requirement under the Environment Act 2021.

The Yorkshire solar farm follows Atrato’s launch of a £28 million solar farm in Northamptonshire, which supplies 75% of the electricity for drink supplier Britvic’s factories in the UK through a 10-year power purchase agreement.

Read more: Renewables could meet almost half of global electricity demand by 2030 – IEA