The solar PV installation, situated within the Cadland Estate at Fawley, will be completed over the next eight weeks and will comprise of 9 kilometres of frames, 5,000 groundscrews and 18,000 solar PV panels.

The 30 acre installation will be capable of generating enough electricity to power 1,000 homes and will operate silently whilst being invisible to the surrounding areas due to its location bordered by mature hedge rows.

The Cadland Estate is currently used for farming wheat, maize and some livestock. The Estate is also used for potato farming and supplies leading food manufacturers including Walkers crisps.

Aldred Drummond, Cadland Estate landowner, said: “It has been a pleasure working with Anesco on this ground-breaking project. As we move forward with a combination of innovative technologies and ways of working, we will be creating a road map for sustainable farming.”

Energy generated by the solar PV system will be fed back into the national grid under the Government’s Feed in Tariff (FiT) scheme, which makes payments for energy produced through renewable sources.

“This is a landmark project for Anesco and we continue to lead the way when it comes to energy efficiency solutions for industry, manufacturing, local authorities and homeowners,” explains Adrian Pike, CEO of Anesco. 

“Farming, which I know well having grown up on a farm myself, is an industry which can greatly benefit from a broad range of renewable technologies. Helping to improve the sustainability of farming, from an energy consumption point of view, is vital for the future of the industry and is something that many operators and landowners are now considering.”

He added: “This project is not only helping to reduce emissions but is generating green energy for the local area as well as creating jobs and long term revenue streams.”

The project has been backed by SSE. The firm’s financial director, Gregor Alexander, explains: “We’re delighted to be working with Anesco to develop one of the largest solar fields in the country. SSE is the UK’s largest generator of renewable energy and we fully support projects such as this.”

Anesco is a national company dedicated to helping homeowners, local authorities and businesses reduce carbon emissions. Anesco provides companies with a comprehensive energy service from audits through to recommendations, installations and capital funding plans.

The firm recently launched a fully funded biomass option, allowing businesses to receive the free supply and installation of an ETA biomass boiler, including fuel storage, delivery systems, performance monitoring and annual services. As well as coming at zero cost, organisations benefit from substantially reduced heating bills of up to 50%, with properties that currently run on oil or LPG based systems reaping the greatest rewards.

For more details visit www.anesco.co.uk