European renewable energy specialist NTR has announced the successful activation of eight clean energy sources across Europe.
The sites, a mix of wind and solar projects, are located in Ireland, Great Britain, France, Spain and Finland. Combined, the assets have a generation capacity of 268.5 MW.
UK assets include the 58.8 MWp Ockendon solar project, located in Essex, which will see the farm’s 108,000 panels built on top of a 5 million tonne sealed landfill. Meanwhile, the Gorey Solar Farm and Macallian Solar Farm in Ireland now deliver a combined capacity of 22.1 MWp.
NTR has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Irish banking company AIB Group, with the two farms supplying up to 80% of the group’s power needs for its retail and office network of more than 270 properties.
With these new assets online, NTR now has nine solar projects in Britain with a total generation capacity of 93.6 MW, plus two co-located solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects in Ireland.
Rosheen McGuckian, CEO of NTR said: “Achieving energy in these eight locations is an exciting milestone considering the complexity of achieving this in five countries. I am extremely proud and grateful to everyone who contributed to achieving this milestone. The dedicated and highly motivated teams behind these assets play a crucial role in our commitment to delivering the clean energy transition across Europe.”
The outlook is bright for British solar, but the pace must increase
With Solar Energy UK’s recent manifesto stating that Britain needs 50 GW of solar capacity and 30 GW of BESS capacity by 2030 to meet net zero targets, the race is on to bring solar online.
Solar and infrastructure investor NextPower UK ESG recently powered its third utility-scale solar farm, a 24MW project in Essex, while Conrad Energy powered a 45MW solar farm in Herefordshire. There are a number of other major projects in the development pipeline, with Windel Energy recently gaining planning permission for a 9.9 MW solar project in Wales, and Island Green Power’s proposed 480 MW West Burton Solar Project awaiting final approval from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
However, the future of large solar projects could be jeopardized by objections to solar development on potential agricultural land. Last month, Energy Security Minister Clair Coutinho made a statement to Parliament insisting that solar projects should not be built on potential agricultural land due to fears surrounding food security, with Environmental Audit Committee chairman Philip Dunne adding that “ progress in solar energy should not undermine the energy sector.” Britain’s ability to provide a sustainable food supply.”
Nevertheless, the development of renewable energy infrastructure, including solar and BESS, is vital to Britain’s future energy security. An analysis by climate think tank Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has found that switching to renewable energy “could halt growing dependence on energy imports, maintaining or even achieving Britain’s current level of energy self-sufficiency.” increased”.
