Major solar plant lined up at Westcott Venture Park

Buckinghamshire-based Westcott Venture Park has unveiled plans for an unsubsidised solar photovoltaic power plant. The project will have an installed capacity exceeding 15 megawatts (MW) and cover 76 acres within Westcott Venture Park.It will be connected to the local 33kV grid and include provision for adding battery energy storage at a later date.The project will make Westcott carbon-negative since the solar plant will generate more power than its tenants use each year, reducing Westcott’s carbon footprint and promoting environmental sustainability.Back in 2011, Westcott established its first 1.6 MWp solar plant, comprising 6,102 solar panels over ten acres. It has generated more than 11GWh to date avoiding in excess of 4,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions.The new project represents a ten-fold increase and will provide an estimated internal rate of return to the investors of in excess of 7 per cent.Solar specialist WolfeWare, which developed the existing solar plant at Westcott, will oversee the project.Solar contractor BSR EPC Ltd is working on the detailed design and aiming to start construction later in the summer.Located between Bicester and Aylesbury, the 650-acre park is owned by Rockspring Hanover Property Unit Trust, managed by Lambert Smith Hampton and is home to 76 businesses providing employment for more than 600 workers. The park is currently undergoing a transformation from historic rocker testing site into a UK centre of excellence for global technology.