Milton Keynes, 30 October 2014 – Conergy, one of the world’s largest downstream solar companies, announced today that it had connected a 37MWp solar power plant to the grid, for RWE Supply & Trading, the energy trading house of European utility RWE Group.
Located on a disused airfield at Kencot Hill, close to the historic village of Burford in David Cameron’s parliamentary constituency of West Oxfordshire, the new power plant is already producing enough electricity to supply 10,000 homes in the local area. Conergy will continue to operate and maintain the plant after its ownership is transferred to Foresight Solar Fund Limited, a LSE-listed fund managed by Foresight Group.
The Kencot Hill site is well-screened from the area’s busy neighbouring roads, after Conergy planted 15 acres of woodland, and installed and reinforced two miles of hedgerows. The solar farm has planning permission for twenty-four years, after which the land must be returned to its original use. In that time, it is expected to avoid the release of a quarter of a million tonnes of greenhouse gases.
Robert Goss, MD Conergy UK, said: “Large solar plants in the right places, like Kencot Hill, already allow thousands of people to run their washing machines and recharge their iPhones. They don’t think about where the electricity comes from, but when they’re asked what kind of power they want, most say solar. There are plenty of brownfield sites left in Britain, and a temporary invisible solar farm will always be more popular with the locals than a new housing estate or giant nuclear power station.”
Conergy’s international projects business trebled in the twelve months to June, when Bloomberg New Energy Finance ranked the company among the top five biggest builders of solar farms in the UK.
About Conergy
Conergy is one of the world’s largest downstream solar companies, specializing in the design, finance, build and operation of high performance solar systems for homes, businesses and utility-scale power. Founded in 1998, the company pioneered the expansion of solar power internationally, and today combines innovative technology and industry-leading engineering with access to capital. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, Conergy has a global sales network and established subsidiaries in 11 countries. The company is privately-held and majority-owned by Miami-based asset management firm Kawa Capital Management, Inc.
Conergy UK & Ireland, based in Milton Keynes, has worked on some of Britain’s most pioneering projects, including the UK’s first large scale solar farm (5MW) and a wave-shaped rooftop installation at Nationwide Building Society headquarters.
