William Eichler 07 April 2022

Kent council buys £14m solar farm

Kent council buys £14m solar farm image
Image: Love Silhouette/Shutterstock.com.

A new 38-hectare solar farm in North Somerset has been acquired by Kent County Council (KCC) and LASER Energy.

The Bowerhouse II Solar Farm, which has recently been built by Ethical Power Ltd, has the capacity to have 39,312 solar panels and will provide 22,000 megawatt hours of green electricity to the grid a year.

KCC’s cabinet member for environment, Susan Carey, said: ‘This new solar farm will reduce our carbon footprint by 30% and make significant savings on our electricity costs for years to come.’

LASER Energy managed the acquisition on KCC’s behalf, using £14.415m from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. They will continue to be responsible for the ongoing running of the facility.

Ethical Power Ltd has been appointed to run the operations and maintenance contract for the solar farm.

LASER’s director of energy, Nigel Hartnup, said: ‘I’m very proud of the role LASER and Commercial Services Group played in supporting KCC through this acquisition and we are looking forward to helping KCC with the ongoing management of the solar farm.

‘This experience has enabled LASER to establish key supply chain routes which we hope to use again in the future to assist other public sector bodies to achieve their decarbonisation goals.’

Stuart Whiteford, director at Ethical Power Ltd, added: ‘We are delighted to have worked with KCC and LASER in realising this project with the ultimate aim of contributing towards KCC’s aspiration of achieving a Net Zero status.

‘I would like to thank everybody involved in the delivery of the project, which is the culmination of several years’ hard work. It is an example of what can be achieved via close collaboration between the public and private sectors to achieve ambitious carbon reduction targets. We look forward to working together in the future.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Chief Executive

Ebbsfleet Development Corporation
up to £165,000
Ebbsfleet is one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration projects, a 21st-century Garden City Ebbsfleet, Kent
Recuriter: Ebbsfleet Development Corporation

Partnership Co-ordinator - Voluntary & Community

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth
£43,545 - £52,767
Partnership Co-ordinator - Voluntary & ... Wandsworth, London
Recuriter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Planning Support Officer

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council
Up to £34359 per annum
Keep our planning service running smoothly, supporting the team that shapes the future of our borough.As a Planning Support Officer, you'll play a vit England, London, City of London
Recuriter: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council

Change Communications Lead

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
£42,839-£48,226
Having come out of government intervention after two years in 2024 Sandwell, West Midlands
Recuriter: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Finance Officer - Debt Collection

Essex County Council
£25081.00 - £27653.00 per annum + + 26 Days Leave & Local Gov Pension
Finance Officer - Debt CollectionPermanent, Full Time£25,081 to £27,653 per annumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council
Linkedin Banner