OnPath Energy has kicked off construction work at its 40MW Barnsdale Solar Energy Park in West Yorkshire, England.
The developer (formerly Banks Renewables) secured unanimous planning approval in 2021 for the site, which sits between Kippax and Allerton Bywater to the east of Leeds, and which will be able to generate enough electricity to meet the annual requirements of up to 13,000 family homes.
Since then, the OnPath project team has been finalising the detail of the array, which will include solar panels covering an area of around 50 hectares of south-facing land and will link directly into the Ledston Primary electricity substation to the south-east of the scheme.
Work has now begun on creating the Barnsdale site entrance, which will allow for its overall development to proceed in the new year.
The initial scope is being carried out by contractor Cheetham Hill Construction, under the supervision of specialist infrastructure consultancy AECOM.
Alongside the green energy it will generate, the Barnsdale Solar Energy Park’s detailed ecology and biodiversity strategy will also see the biggest increase in biodiversity for any renewable energy project within Leeds to date, said OnPath.
It includes extensive wildflower meadows, wetland habitat, native trees, scrub and hedgerow planting, and will achieve a biodiversity net gain of 106%, which is more than ten times the expected outcome for a project of this type.
Over £800,000 of the revenues generated by Barnsdale will be directed into a community fund that will provide grants to support local community groups and voluntary organisations over its lifetime, added the developer.
OnPath Energy owns and operates four onshore wind farms in Yorkshire, including the 10MW Hook Moor wind farm near Leeds.
OnPath Energy development planner Will Rust (pictured above right with Cheetham Hill Construction site agent Andrew McCreadie) said: “This is a significant landmark in the development of a project that will deliver a wide range of environmental, ecological, energy security and social benefits to local communities and the wider region.
“The Barnsdale Solar Energy Park will also further extend the contribution OnPath Energy is making in Yorkshire towards meeting the UK’s crucial net zero targets, and we are excited to see development work now starting at the Barnsdale site.
“Our four Yorkshire wind farms generated enough electricity in our last financial year to meet the annual electricity needs of more 33,400 homes, or a city around the size of Wakefield, and we’re very pleased to be moving quickly towards adding to this figure.”