Irish solar company BNRG Renewables has announced it has completed construction and commissioning of 30 Megawatts (MW) of Solar PV plants in the UK, 20 MW in Kent and 10 MW on the Isle of Wight.
The total value of these two projects is estimated to exceed €52m. However, the company is not stopping there. It is about to sign construction contracts for a 15MW plant, near Chichester, West Sussex valued at €24m.
In relation to the recently constructed plants, the 20 Megawatt project is located at Sycamore Farm, Old Romney in Kent. Covering 125 acres, it is one of the largest solar parks in the UK and will produce enough electricity to power over 6,600 homes for 30 years. The project is a typical example of BNRG’s community-centric approach to development and represents the culmination of a careful planning process. In addition to conducting in-depth ecological surveys to minimise the impact on the environment, BNRG develop and construct all their projects to benefit local community and ecology.
Hill Farm (10MW) is the largest of BNRG’s three projects on the Isle of Wight. It is located on a plateau on one of the highest points on the island, thereby minimizing visual impact and maximizing the solar resource. The project will generate enough clean energy locally to power over 3,600 households for the next 30 years.
For both projects the development phase was executed and funded by BNRG. The construction funding was provided by British investment specialist Octopus Investments. The projects were jointly constructed by BNRG and Lightsource Renewable Energy. Groupotec, a Spanish construction company was lead contractor on the projects
BNRG has a 100% track record in securing planning permissions which has established them as them as a market leader in the solar sector. They have developed and constructed solar projects with a combined value of over €150 million across Europe. The Company typically places these operational assets with institutional investors.
Founder and Director, David Maguire said the company is headquartered in Dublin’s IFSC not just because BNRG’s founders are Irish, but also because there is a pool of development, legal and accounting expertise in the Irish renewable sector on which BNRG can draw. Maguire commented that “Ireland like the UK has huge potential for solar energy, it is unfortunate that we have yet to include solar in renewable energy policy unlike the UK which has seen significant benefit from the roll-out of large scale solar. He advised that with the recent launch of the Green Paper on Energy Policy in Ireland, there is an opportunity to have solar included in policy and to provide a regulatory framework that allows solar to contribute to the energy mix in Ireland.
BNRG Recently received the planning permissions for the first utility scale solar PV park on the island of Ireland at Bishops Court, Co. Down. “This is a real milestone development as it’s a first for Ireland,” Maguire stated. “There are a number of areas in Ireland that have higher solar resource than many locations in the UK where we have recently developed successful projects”. He went on to emphasize that large scale solar is now established as one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy.
