Irish investor NTR is about to start construction of the 58.8MWp Ockendon solar farm in Essex, England, after acquiring the site from REG Power Management.
The 58.8MWp project is considered to be one of the largest solar farms to be built on a repurposed landfill site in Europe, NTR said, and will provide around 17,000 homes with power, once operational.
In line with NTR’s focus on creating a circular economy to protect the environment, the former landfill site is being left undisturbed.
Instead, specialist engineering and design techniques being adopted by NTR to repurpose the land for renewable energy power generation.
Using the latest solar technology, NTR will install 540Watt bi-facial solar panels which are capable of capturing sunlight on both sides of the panel.
These panels have a higher efficiency rate, resulting in increased output density and optimisation of energy yields per square metre, according to the company.
Mobilisation works have commenced with the project expected to be fully operational in Q3 2023.
NTR chief investment officer Anthony Doherty said: “This is a hugely exciting project for us, particularly due to the location of the site.
“We are repurposing land that would otherwise go unused to supply clean power from a source next door to London where significant demand for renewable energy lies.
“Our team worked hard to develop new and innovative engineering solutions to ensure minimum disruption to the landfill and that maximum clean energy output is achieved.”
RPM chief executive Andrew Whalley added: “We are delighted to have developed a strong relationship with NTR in the course of selling them the Ockendon solar farm.
“Their deep understanding of both renewable energy projects and the waste sector made them the ideal investor to take forward this key solar farm, which is strategically located on the edge of London, has good irradiation and can be operational before the end of 2023.”