Category: News

               RES has submitted a planning application for its 25MW Varley solar farm, located southeast of Cromhall, in South Gloucestershire. The design process considered feedback that was received after a public exhibition held in July 2022, alongside information gathered from several detailed technical and environmental surveys in order to inform the final design. As a result, a number of changes have been made to the design to ensure the solar farm fits sensitively into the existing landscape, whilst maximising the low carbon, low-cost electricity generation. Changes made include siting infrastructure further away from residential properties, and increasing the hedgerow height in areas to reduce potential visibility. Furthermore, in response to consultation feedback, RES has undertaken a comprehensive review of all potential access routes and has proposed a solution to minimise any potential impact on the local road network from HGV delivery traffic.

               The initial plans for the project will be determined by South Gloucestershire Council’s planning committee. If consented, Varley Solar Farm would be capable of producing clean, green electricity for approximately 9700 homes every year. It will also deliver an estimated £80,000 in business rates annually to fund vital local services. Bertrand Devossel, Development Project Manager at RES, said: “This particular site has been chosen as it has good solar irradiation levels, lies outside of any statutory environmental, archaeological and landscape designations and due to its proximity to a viable grid connection. “We hope that South Gloucestershire will agree that Varley Solar Farm is in an optimum position to help tackle climate change and is a crucial step forward if the country is to meet the UK’s target of net zero by 2050.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: RES]

               JBM Solar has completed the sale of two solar projects to Vantage RE. The two consented projects have a combined capacity of 102MWp and are co-located with 65MWac of battery storage. Set to energise in early 2024, they will generate enough clean energy to meet the equivalent annual needs of over 37,000 homes and save over 2m tonnes of CO2 compared to fossil fuel generation over the lifetime of the projects. Eastfields is located in Deppers Bridge, Warwickshire, and is designed with single-axis tracking system to optimise the daily generation profile. Bunkers Hill is located near to Hook in Hampshire. Across both developments, JBM Solar engaged extensively with the local communities making sure their voices were heard and considered. Community funds will be created for both sites to support projects in the local communities.

               In the recent CFD Allocation Round 4, Eastfields and Bunkers Hill were two of the eight JBM Solar developed projects that were awarded contracts at a strike price of £45.99. JBM Solar developed these projects as part of their ambition to deliver 3GWp of grid-secured pipeline by 2025. Brendan O’Brien, director and co-founder of JBM Solar commented: “We are pleased to close the sale of these two projects, demonstrating JBM Solar’s ability to deliver high quality innovative assets with long-term financial and sustainability benefits. We are also delighted to contribute to Vantage RE’s long-term renewable energy aspirations.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: JBM Solar]

               Solar asset manager Amberside Energy has been selected to manage a 21MW solar farm in Somerset. The Bowerhouse 2 solar farm, in north Somerset, was recently acquired by Kent County Council, which operates it through Laser Energy, part of Kent County Council’s commercial services group. Bowerhouse 2, built by Ethical Power, will contribute to about 30% of Kent County Council’s Net Zero carbon reduction target. To ensure this investment, using £14.4m from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, is a success from the outset, LASER Energy has appointed asset manager Amberside Energy to manage its interests at the site. Kane Stockwell, Net Zero Energy Supply Lead at Laser Energy, said: “Bowerhouse 2 solar park is a significant and important step for Kent County Council to achieve their net zero goals.

               “We at Laser Energy are pleased to have Amberside Energy on board to help us deliver a robust Asset Management service and are confident that their expertise and experience in this field will ensure the site performs at a high standard.” Joe Miletic, Head of Asset and Portfolio Management at Amberside Energy, added: “We are delighted to have been selected by the Kent County Council to manage their solar farm, and we are committed to helping them achieve their goal of becoming Net Zero. “We are proud to be working alongside industry leaders Laser Energy, LWH Partnership and Ethical Power to ensure that the project not only meets all relevant standards but also reaches its full potential in the years to come. “This partnership represents an exciting opportunity for Amberside Energy to make a positive impact on the environment and support the council’s sustainability initiatives.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: LHW Partnership/James Hoare]

                 Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (HASI) Capitalhas closed two new programmatic investments in grid-connected renewable energy assets developed, owned and operated by the AES Corporation. Under the agreement, HASI will make a common equity investment in an approximately 1.3GW portfolio of operating solar and wind projects located across six states. These are in Arizona, California, New York, South Dakota, Utah, and Virginia. In accordance with the terms of the equity investment in the renewable energy portfolio, HASI intends to acquire a 49% equity interest in the portfolio that includes 17 operating solar projects, and one wind project. With a weighted average remaining contract life of approximately 18 years, the portfolio’s cash flows are contracted with a diverse group of predominately investment-grade corporate, utility, and municipal off-takers. AES will continue to own and operate the assets.

               Additionally, HASI is financing land owned by AES for a solar project and a standalone battery energy storage system in California. AES has a 51GW development pipeline in the US. Chief client officer at Hannon Armstrong Susan Nickey said: “We are thrilled to expand our programmatic relationship with AES through this new partnership, which is designed to encourage additional investments over the next several years. “AES’ purpose to accelerate the future of energy and create a sustainable future is totally aligned with our mission as a climate positive investor.” President of AES Clean Energy Leo Moreno added: “AES is committed to accelerating a greener, smarter energy future. “This investment creates an opportunity to expand our development of renewable energy projects, growing our portfolio of wind, solar and battery energy storage facilities across the US.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: AES]

               Danish energy company Andel has acquired the operational 55MW Tryggevælde solar project from European Energy The park near Faxe in Denmark has been in operation since the beginning of the year. The acquisition price was not disclosed. “It is absolutely inevitable that Denmark will need much more energy from renewable energy sources. It is the only viable solution to the climate crisis and to our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Andel chief executive Jesper Hjulmand. “Andel will be at the forefront of the green transition and ensure that energy production is also anchored in a Danish cooperative-owned company in the future. “The sun is a new source of energy for us, as we have so far focused strongly on the production of renewable energy from wind. We are committed to maintain this, among other things through the work with the future energy island in the North Sea, and we will continue to invest strategically in a broad value chain.”

Credits: renews.biz[Image: European Energy]

               RWE has commissioned the 44MW Casa Valdes solar farm in Spain. The project is located in the province of Guadalajara, close to Madrid. Casa Valdes is a ground-mounted photovoltaic plant and will be able to supply the equivalent of 30,000 Spanish homes with green electricity annually.  RWE installed 97,740 bifacial modules on an area of about 97 hectares. “The advantage of this approach is that the bifacial cells are embedded in a double-sided glass module by which the solar radiation can be absorbed from both sides – the front and the back of the module. This will help to increase production,” said the company. RWE Europe solar chief Katja Wünschel said: “The Spanish sun is a great partner of the energy transition. And innovative technologies like the bifacial modules used at Casa Valdes help us to make the best out of this energy source and this site. “I am also looking forward to the completion of our solar plants that are still under construction and the further projects to come in Spain as one of our core markets this year.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: RWE]

               Enefit Green has made an investment decision to build a solar farm in the industrial area of the Estonia Mine in Ida-Virumaa. The project will have a capacity of nearly 3MW and will be located on a platform made of waste rocks. A 27-metre-high structure was built for the solar park on a mine site from waste rock generated during oil shale extraction. This allows to reduce losses due to shadowing and thereby makes electricity production more efficient. Enefit Green will invest up to €2.7m to build the project. Construction of the solar park will begin in the first half of next year, and the park is scheduled to begin production in early 2024. According to Enefit Green Renewable Energy Project Manager Elise Johanna Lill, the solar park is the second one the company is building in an industrial area. “Pre-mined areas, as well as other low-value lands, are very suitable for building solar power plants.

               The development of renewable energy in industrial areas serves several environmental purposes. For example, it offers the opportunity to use waste rock generated during mining as construction material and to supply the mine with green energy,” Lill said. Lill added that the establishment of Estonia Solar Park is part of the company’s growth plan to significantly increase their output of renewable energy. “Enefit Green will quadruple its green electricity production capacity in the coming years. Solar energy has great growth potential for us in the Baltic and Polish markets. Next year, we plan to make investment decisions for the construction of large-scale solar parks in Estonia and Lithuania with a total volume of over 200MW.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Enefit Green]

               Sonnedix has achieved commercial operations at its 50MW Sonnedix Los Frailes solar farm in Spain. The project, which is located in Badajoz in southwest of Spain, spans 111 hectares of land and connects to the Vaguadas substation. It is expected to produce approximately 102GWh per year, which is the equivalent to powering more than 30,000 homes with clean electricity and avoiding approximately 16,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Sonnedix Los Frailes was built with Mytilineos as the main EPC Contractor and developed by Viridi RE group in collaboration with Sonnedix’s development team. Sonnedix said it has over 1GW of capacity in Spain, including over 600MW operational, 60MW under construction and a development pipeline of almost 400MW. Sonnedix chief executive officer Axel Thiemann said: “Seeing this come to fruition is wonderful, especially knowing the challenges our team had to go through these past couple of years with the pandemic, supply chain concerns, and economic uncertainty. “Our team was able to deal with adversity to continue our commitment to the Spanish market, whose role in the energy transition is remarkable.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Sonnedix]

                Solar and battery developer Renewable Connections has received consent from the UK Government for a new PV project in the East Midlands, England. Rushcliffe Borough Council approved the 49.9MW Church Farm solar project on the 10 November 2022. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has now ratified the decision. Development director at Renewable Connections John Leith said: “This project will play an integral role in helping Rushcliffe Borough Council meet its own Climate Emergency objectives.   “As well as providing energy for up to 14,000 homes, it will also achieve a substantial biodiversity net gain of 93% and provide significant benefits to local wildlife. “Throughout the project development we engaged with local people, statutory consultees and Council officers, who’s support has been much appreciated. “We made a number of improvement to the design of the project as a result of the local community’s feedback.” The project has been developed in partnership with European Energy (EE) and once operational is expected to have a lifespan of up to forty years.

Credits: renewa.biz [Image: Renewable Connections ]

               Neoen has begun construction of its first asset in Canada, the Fox Coulee solar farm, located in Alberta, Starland County. The solar farm is 100% owned by Neoen and the turnkey contract for its construction has been awarded to Goldbeck Solar. With a capacity of 93MWp, the solar farm will be connected to ATCO Electric’s distribution system, at 24.5kV. The commissioning of Fox Coulee is scheduled for the first quarter of 2024. When it enters service, it will prevent the emission of around 70,000 tonnes of CO2 a year and is expected to generate enough electricity to power over 20,000 homes. Neoen intends to sell a significant part of the electricity generated, together with the environmental benefits, via power purchase agreements. The remainder will be sold on Alberta’s electricity market, taking advantage of the province’s deregulated electricity market and ambitious carbon taxation policy.

               The farm will contribute to the target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035 set by the Province of Alberta and the federal government. Emmanuel Pujol, Regional Director of Neoen in the Americas, said: “I would like to congratulate our teams for their hard work in making this first project in Canada a reality. It’s a major step in developing Neoen’s presence in the country. The start of construction work for Fox Coulee comes just a year after establishing our local team and shows our commitment and drive to become a leading player in Alberta and Canada.” Xavier Barbaro, Chairman and CEO of Neoen, added: “We are thrilled to break ground at Fox Coulee and to see our presence in Canada bearing fruit. Neoen has been present in the Americas for almost ten years and we are proud to now have a presence from north to south. Canada’s climate and energy policy stands out for its ambition and Neoen is looking forward to playing an active role in delivering on its targets.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Pixabay]