West Solent Solar Cooperative’s solar farm built on a former gravel pit and landfill site near Lymington has just held its first public Open Day on July 4th, the day after Britain generated a record 16% of its electricity from solar power. The Open Day was part of Solar Independence Day, a national initiative led by the Solar Trade Association (STA) to showcase solar installations of all types.
Over a hundred people attended the West Solent Solar Farm Open Day and were able to see the solar farm generating at full power under a sunny sky. With no emissions of any kind, 2 megawatts of pollution-free electricity can be produced by the solar farm at maximum output. Standing on top of the site’s specially-constructed earth viewing mound, visitors could see all 9372 solar panels which supply power to over 650 homes in Pennington.
Anthony Woolhouse, Chairman of WSSC with Desmond Swayne, MP and Councillor Alison Hoare, Chairman of New Forest District Council
Directors of the solar farm, were delighted to welcome Mr Desmond Swayne, MP for New Forest West, and Councillor Mrs Alison Hoare, Chairman of New Forest District Council, to the Open Day.
The West Solent Solar Farm project started in 2013 when some members of New Forest Transition, the local sustainability network, got together and founded West Solent Solar Cooperative (WSSC), the first solar energy coop in Hampshire.
Ten months later, the West Solent Solar Farm off Lower Pennington Lane in Lymington was complete. UK solar contractors, Solarcentury and Arun Construction, who share WSSC’s ethos and vision for community-owned clean energy generation, built the solar farm in just six weeks in May and June last year.
The installation cost £2.6 million and with the expertise and support of Energy4All, a very successful share offer was launched to fund the solar farm. This was quickly snapped up by just under 500 members of the public, over half of whom live in the local area.
WSSC were especially keen to adhere to the Solar Trade Association’s 10 Commitments, which include improving the biodiversity of solar farms. By working in partnership with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT), WSSC’s aim is to boost the impoverished state of the land and create an environmental asset.
Hordle Primary School Eco-warriors group visiting the solar farm
New Forest Transition volunteers have helped to plant several thousand hedging plants and trees around the field to start forming a wildlife corridor, and wildflower seeds have been sown across much of the 12.5 acre field. Sheep will be grazing on the field in the autumn.
A collection of beehives have been installed on site, and much bee activity is now apparent as the wildflowers on the field flourish. For the Open Day, local beekeepers David Rice and Ted Scott set up a display of honey and beeswax products, along with a glass-sided demonstration bee hive to show bees at work, which the children visiting particularly enjoyed.
John Durnell, Head of Estates and Enterprise at HIWWT, led a walk up the solar field during the Open Day, explaining about the biodiversity management plan for the site and talking of the excitement when a recent vegetation survey by HIWWT revealed that Bee Orchids are growing at the solar farm.
Professor Keith Barnham at the Open Day with a sample of the QuantaSol high efficiency solar cell he invented
Professor Keith Barnham from the Department of Physics at Imperial College, London, also attended the Open Day and was signing copies of his newly-published book “The Burning Answer: a User’s Guide to the Solar Revolution”. Professor Barnham has been pioneering the ‘miniaturisation’ of solar generation with his invention of the QuantaSol cell which has three times the efficiency of normal solar cells – see photo attached.
As well as holding this Open Day for the public to view the solar farm, WSSC have already shown round over 200 primary-aged children from 7 New Forest schools, plus a group from the Lymington Rotary Club. Schools and community group tours are offered as part of the New Forest Transition School and Community Energy Saving Project. Project Coordinator and Founding Director of WSSC, Cathy Cook said, “the solar farm tour is a great experience, opening children’s and adults’ eyes to the fact that people living just up the road are actually cooking their lunch with sunshine!”
Anthony Woolhouse, Chairman and one of the Founding Directors of WSSC, explained his motivation for creating this community solar farm, “In 2011, Quakers in the UK committed to become a low-carbon, sustainable society. This gave me the spiritual strength and determination to make West Solent Solar Coop the success it has become.”
Visitors to the Open Day spoke about the inspiration of seeing how solar power is a truly clean source of electricity and how a community solar farm enables local people to do something positive about climate change. Dr Elizabeth Chell of Lyndhurst Parish Council said: “This Open Day lived up to its billing of being a solar farm where great effort has been put in to developing it responsibly. I was very impressed and see it as good example for others to follow”.