Member Article

Anesco wins industry award for subsidy-free solar model

Anesco’s Clayhill solar farm, which was the first solar farm in the UK to be developed free from government subsidy, has been recognised with a prestigious industry award.

The project has taken the top spot in the Solar Power Portal Awards, in the category of ground-mount Solar PV. The awards, now in their fifth year, highlight the best and the brightest of the UK’s domestic solar, storage and clean energy industries.

Located in Bedfordshire, Clayhill covers an area of 44.58 acres and combines 10MW solar PV with 6MW energy storage. The site was officially opened on 26 September 2017 by Minister for Climate Change Claire Perry.

Steve Shine OBE, Anesco’s Executive Chairman, commented: “We’re delighted to win this award. Being first in the UK to achieve subsidy-free solar is something we’re extremely proud of and it’s credit to the hard work and dedication of whole team at Anesco.

“We have managed to navigate a range of technical and commercial complexities to achieve a subsidy free development, utilising strong partnerships within the supply chain and reengineering the process of design and construction. It’s a very proud moment for everyone involved.”

Clayhill solar farm was constructed in just 12 weeks and will generate enough electricity annually for around 2,500 homes, while saving 4,452 tonnes of carbon.

Over 30,000 solar panels have been used in its construction, mounted on 15,620m of frames. In a second ‘first’ for the UK market, Huawei’s new 1500v solar inverters have been installed on the site, marking the first time the ground-breaking inverters have been deployed in Europe.

The site adds to Anesco’s impressive portfolio, which now exceeds 100 solar farms. The company is also leading the way in energy storage with 28 operational sites totalling 29MW and 185MW expected to be installed by the end of 2018.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anesco Limited .