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Hive Energy has begun construction on a 13MW subsidy-free solar park in Rugby, Warwickshire.
The 60-acre School Farm Solar Park will be located near Churchover, and will generate 13MWh of renewable energy to power local homes. For this project, Hive will use south facing panels, although the company said it will be introducing bifacial panels for some future projects expected to commence construction in Autumn.
It initially gained planning consent in December 2017, and is expected to be commissioned by December 2020. It is expected to have a lifespan of 40 years, throughout which it will contribute to Rugby Borough Council in business rates.
The School Farm Solar Park will be Hive’s first subsidy free solar project, marking an important milestone for the company.
Speaking of the project, Hugh Brennan, Hive Energy UK’s managing director, said the project was another “exciting” addition to the company’s international portfolio of clean energy technologies.
“It’s only through the decarbonisation of our energy system, with projects like School Farm Solar Park, that will we transition to a green economy and combat climate change.”
Ethical Power will be the project’s engineering, procurement, and construction partner, and Ethical Power Connections is the independent connection provider.
It will form part of Rugby Borough Council’s commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030, after it declared a climate energy. The Council has made a number of moves to develop clean energy sources to support this goal, including granting Lightsource BP planning permission for a 17MW site in 2019, while Climate ER is developing a 27MW solar site, Swift Ford Solar Farm in Rugby, together with Canadian Solar currently.
Hive Energy has an international portfolio of over 900MW of renewable energy, with a further 1.8GW of solar in the pipeline. This includes the 350MW Cleve Hill Solar Park, the UK’s largest subsidy-free solar park, which received planning consent in May.