Good Energy’s seventh operational solar farm, at Oaklands Plantation, north of Wareham in Dorset, was commissioned in January 2016.
The 5MW solar farm will generate enough renewable electricity to power approximately 1,300 homes.
The site at Oaklands is very well-screened and positioned between a landfill site and a commercial forest. The solar panels are being installed on land which was previously used as a Christmas tree plantation, some rough pasture and a motocross track.
The land surrounding the panels will be recreated as grassland which can be grazed by sheep and will be managed to improve its quality and biodiversity. Some areas of the site will be adapted to recreate heathland and we will introduce a wetland area providing habitat for heathland species. These measures will provide valuable new habitats for a variety of wildlife.
For the lifetime of the solar farm, Good Energy will also contribute at least £5,000 per year (rising with inflation) to a community fund. This fund will be controlled by local people and used to support community initiatives.
Project key facts
Installed capacity: 5MW
Annual renewable electricity output: 5,500MWh* (projected)
Homes powered: 1,300** (projected)
*Based on an installed capacity of 5MW and PVGIS estimates of solar electricity generation for the postcode of the site of 1,100kWh per year for a 1KW system (Source: EC Joint Research Centre, Institute for Energy and Transport).
**Based on the estimated annual output of 5,500MWh and the average annual household electricity consumption for 2014 of 4,001kWh (Source: DECC, Energy Consumption in the UK, 2015).
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