First UK hybrid solar park clears planning permission

Nov. 26, 2010 - Mark Osborne - pv-tech.org

An existing wind farm in Lincolnshire, owned and operated by Ecotricity has received planning permission by East Lindsey Council to build a 1MW PV power plant on the same site. Groundbreaking on the 4.7 acre (1.9 hectare) site is expected in the next few weeks with grid connection planned in March, 2011. Although other plants have received or are close to receive planning approval, the Ecotricity project could be one of the first utility-scale projects to be commissioned in the UK.

The Ecotricity project is being funded by the proceeds of its new Ecobonds, which allow the public and investors to invest in renewable energy projects.

Ecotricity declined requests from PV-Tech to reveal suppliers of the modules and inverters to be used for the project - citing competitive reasons for the nondisclosure. Project costs or expected output from the plant were also not disclosed.

However, Ecotricity noted that due to the existence of a sub-station at the site as the Wind Farm has been in operation since 2008, the company expects the 1MW plant to be cost effective. The ‘energy payback’ of the site was said to be only two years.