Over 1 GW DC Solar Plant Planned In The UK

• Elements Green plans to develop an 800 MW AC solar project with associated energy storage in Nottinghamshire, UK 
• Grid connection availability at Staythorpe due to closure of fossil fuel plants is a key factor for its location 
• Based on development consent approval, the project will enter construction around 2027, according to the developer 

UK-based solar and storage projects developer Elements Green has proposed to develop an 800 MW AC solar power plant with an energy storage component in the UK's Nottinghamshire. The company says this Great North Road Solar Park (GNR Solar Park) is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and will be developed without any government subsidies. 

To be grid-connected to the existing National Grid Substation at Staythorpe, the project has the potential to generate enough clean energy to power some 400,000 homes on completion, it added. 

The management said that the availability of grid connection at Staythorpe substation is a key factor influencing the location of the project, since the closure of fossil fuel power stations has created capacity on the grid. 

"Our proposals for Great North Road Solar Park build on the Trent Valley's long history of powering the UK," said Project Director for Great North Road Solar Park, Mark Noone. "With an installed capacity of over one gigawatt (GW) DC the scheme offers an effective, clean solution that would help secure the UK's future energy needs, contributing 1.5 per cent towards the government's 2035 solar PV target." 

Elements Green says that it has identified multiple parcels of land and is currently seeking suitable areas where solar panels can be installed, while carrying out work for biodiversity enhancements. The entire project is expected to cover close to 2,800 hectares of land. 

The next steps will be the submission of a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Planning Inspectorate, post which the ball will be in the court of the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The entire process is expected to take another 3 years before construction can begin around 2027. 

The company counts its current greenfield pipeline as exceeding 7 GW capacity alongside an operational portfolio of 600 MW. 

A year back, RWE of Germany secured a capacity agreement for its Tween Bridge Solar Farm with up to 600 MW solar and storage capacity from the National Grid of UK and was planning to apply for it to be treated as an NSIP (see 600 MW Solar & Storage Farm Planned Near Wind Farm In UK).