Public Power Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Swindon Borough Council, has submitted a planning application to Cotswold District Council on behalf of the Secretary of State for Defence to build a solar farm at the Duke of Gloucester Barracks in Gloucestershire, England.
Working alongside the UK Army’s delivery partner, The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), PPS also carried out all the project development work, including feasibility studies and grid works.
The project would be the first in a pilot programme which could see up to 6MW of solar power installed across four UK army sites throughout the country over the next year, as part of the latter’s commitment to greening its estate and contributing to the country’s net zero 2050 target.
The 1.4MW Duke of Gloucester Barracks project, at South Cerney, near Cirencester, would generate enough solar power for the equivalent of 350 typical homes, saving approximately 400 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
The facility will be connected by ‘private wire’ to the barracks – meaning the energy generated will be consumed on site – accounting for about one-third of its total energy usage over a year.
Approximately 5200 solar panels will be installed on the 2.4 hectare site.
The proposals also include improvements to the grassland maintenance of the site with additional biodiversity enhancements for birds and reptiles on other areas of the barracks.
Director of the Army basing and infrastructure organisation Major General David Southall said: “We are very excited at the opportunity to drive greater sustainability into the Army estate.
“We remain wholly committed to becoming more energy efficient and this is an excellent example of the innovation we will harness to enable this.”
PPS head Steve Cains said: “We’re really excited to be working on another solar project for the Army.
“The site at Duke of Gloucester Barracks is ideal for solar generation. This project shows that in the right conditions, subsidy-free solar is a viable option for public sector organisations looking to reduce their carbon emissions.
“We look forward to continuing to support the Army on this programme of solar deployment on sites across the Army estate.”
The Duke of Gloucester Barracks is currently home to the British Army’s 104 Logistic Support Brigade and 29 Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps, with approximately 550 personnel living and working there.
This is the second project PPS has worked on with the MoD.
In 2015 it completed the procurement for Lyneham solar farm at the Defence Technical and Training College on the former RAF Lyneham airbase in Wiltshire.