A community solar power farm has been installed by Anesco at Oxcroft on behalf of Chesterfield Community Energy. Profits made by selling the electricity will be deposited in a community fund to support local residents. The solar farm is expected to generate about 4,000 MW of electricity annually. Additionally, it is anticipated that it will produce electricity for about 40 years, and each year £15,000 could be generated for the local community fund or local charities.
The Freedom Community Project is one of the organizations that will receive some of the funds. It supports people in North East Derbyshire who are struggling financially, including those with debt. Support for issues related to alcohol dependency, employment, personal abuse, and others are covered by the work as well. The annual contribution to the charity will be £1,500 for the full life of the solar facility so the total will be £60,000.
A 1000 kW/1200 kWh Energy Storage System (ESS) will also be installed to capture excess electricity to use at night or other times when needed.
“It’s also rewarding to know that the site, which was formerly used for coal stocking, is now in the business of green energy, helping to drive down carbon emissions and create a better future for everyone. To date in schemes up and down the country, Anesco has helped to take over 275,000 people out of fuel poverty. The renewable technologies it has deployed are now generating over 500MW of power,” said Delvin Lane, a commercial director at Anesco.
The site is situated on 11.6 hectares of land that includes a former coal stocking area. UK residents can buy solar bonds to support the project and earn 5% interest per year, paid every 6 months.
Another benefit has been predicted: an 1800-ton reduction in annual carbon emissions for the region due to the fact that this solar plant produces none.
Image Credit: Jon Bennett, Creative Commons license 2.0
