Solar energy company Cero Generation and UK development partner Enso Energy announced a 50MW UK solar farm, which will be co-located with a 49.5MW/99MWh battery energy storage system (ESS).
Cero said it is the first solar photovoltaic array (PV) to connect directly to the electricity transmission network in the UK.
It follows installation of new switchgear at the site by Cero and Enso in collaboration with National Grid. A high voltage cable runs between the substation and solar farm, which has enabled National Grid to connect the 49.9MW Larks Green solar farm to its Iron Acton substation near Bristol.
The solar plant is installed on 200 acres near the 400kV Iron Acton substation. It will generate over 73GWh annually, according to Cero.
Until now, all of the UK’s solar farms have connected to the country’s distribution networks. These are the lower voltage regional grids carrying power from the high voltage transmission network to homes and businesses.
Marta Martinez Queimadelos, CEO of Cero Generation, said connecting solar power directly to National Grid’s transmission network marks a significant step and allows energy to be transported over greater distances. It opens up for larger projects to connect to the grid.
Ian Harding, Director of Enso Energy, said: “Completion of this project is a major milestone for renewable energy in the UK and provides further evidence that co-located solar and battery storage projects connecting directly to the transmission network will play an important role in the delivery of the UK’s net zero plans.”
Cero has 38 other standalone or co-located BESS projects in its UK pipeline within its partnership with Enso.
