The most powerful solar farm in the UK, with the ability to power more than 330,000 households, may be built on the famous Oxfordshire estate of Blenheim.
If permitted, the planned Botley West Solar Farm would be able to supply the National Grid with 840 MW of cheap, clean power. That would, theoretically, provide enough energy to run and every each home in Oxfordshire.
The solar farm, which would cover over 1,000 hectares, would be built by Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP), who have experience completing sizable solar projects in Europe and Japan.
The project seeks to implement large additional native forest and hedgerow planting, new greenways, bike lanes, and walkways, as well as activities to increase biodiversity.
Along with the initiative, Blenheim has also made a commitment to solving the climate emergency by establishing its own unique goals, including being carbon neutral by 2027 and sequestering over 200,000 tonnes of CO2e by 2050.
Blenheim Chief Executive Dominic Hare said this about the proposed soalr farm: “We all recognise we are in an energy crisis and currently rely heavily on countries beyond our shores for our energy, which is at a premium and shows little sign of getting any better."
“As we contribute our land to this project, we do so knowing it could deliver enough clean energy to power 330,000 homes, enough to power every home in Oxfordshire, whilst supporting our collective declarations in the battle against the climate emergency.
A PVDP spokesperson said this about the project: “PVDP have over 18 years of experience developing solar farms and are committed to delivering clean, affordable energy generation in the UK. "
“We are working with industry-leading experts to design an environmentally led project for Botley West that will deliver significant benefits for habitats and wildlife as well as creating new recreational access for local people. We encourage the local community to provide their feedback and come along to our consultation events.”
Pictures courtesy of Blenheim Estate
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