A new 55MW solar project in Yorkshire has come online today (October 24), becoming the largest operational solar farm in the region.
Located in Richmond, North Yorkshire, the Skeeby project is owned and operated by Atrato Onsite Energy, which has invested £39.4 million in the development. Atrato has signed a three-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with British utility OVO Energy, which will receive 49 GWh of electricity annually from the site.
The solar park consists of more than 93,000 double-sided solar panels, spread over the 166 hectare site. According to Atrato, the use of bifacial modules will improve energy generation by approximately 5% compared to monofacial panels. The company also notes that a battery energy storage system (BESS) will be installed on site at a later date, the capacity of which has not yet been disclosed.
Gurpreet Gujral, managing director at Atrato Partners, said: “Tribling the UK’s solar capacity by 2030 is no mean feat, but Britain’s potential to achieve this is undisputed. Encouraging solar projects is fundamental not only to achieving the UK government’s target of a clean electricity system by 2030, but also to a fully net-zero economy.”
“Today, PPAs make it easier than ever for companies to decarbonize their operations. Our agreement with OVO will play a fundamental role in meeting the growing demand from UK citizens for cleaner and greener energy.”
Susie Leppard, head of sustainable energy at OVO, said: “Our PPA with Atrato Onsite Energy at Skeeby is another example of how the renewable generation sector and retail suppliers like us can come together to enable greater amounts of cleaner energy in the UK energy system. ”
Britain has untapped potential in solar energy
A recent contribution Solar energy portal Gujral’s blog notes that, with the right support, the UK solar market could rival that of some of the sunniest countries in the world, including Australia. He states that “Britain’s huge potential to harness commercial rooftop solar energy plays a major role […] will put Britain on the world stage as a solar superpower,” adding that increased adoption of PPAs by businesses is an important part of Britain’s clean energy future.
Atrato, the UK’s largest installer of commercial rooftop solar, has in turn made significant moves into the solar PPA sector. Last year the company signed a major solar PPA with supermarket chain Tesco, which would also arrange the installation of solar PV at a number of Tesco stores over the next three years.
