Turning Plymouth’s old land fill site into a solar farm, powering 3860 homes
Project by
Plymouth Energy Community
Partners
Plymouth City Council
Date
17 October 2022
Status
Live
Project
Description
Chelson Meadow Community Solar Farm is a partnership project to build a 13 MW solar farm on the old land fill site at Chelson Meadow.
After building Ernesettle Solar Farm and installing 32 solar roofs on schools and community buildings, such as Plymouth Life Centre, we are now working on our most ambitious project yet – building the largest community developed solar farm in the country!
Chelson Meadow is forecast to generate over £3.5 million during the lifetime of the farm, supporting further projects to reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty.
Planning permission was granted in June 2022 where we laid out our plans to improve the wildlife and natural habitats on and around the site by 25 per cent and provide an educational experience for the public.
Once complete and operational, the solar farm will increase the city’s renewable power generation by nearly 50 per cent, generating enough to power 3,860 homes a year – taking Plymouth a significant step further on the journey to carbon neutrality.
As in previous solar projects, we are hoping to provide local people with the opportunity to buy community shares, ensuring any profits are kept locally.
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