A £39million solar farm just outside the market town of Richmond in North Yorkshire is switched on today and is set to power 20,000 UK homes.

The 55MW solar farm at Skeeby is the region’s largest so far and the UK’s fourth largest, consisting of more than 93,000 panels across around 166 acres, equivalent to 93 football pitches.

The deployment of two-sided modules dramatically enhances exposure to light.

Owned and developed by Atrato Onsite Energy, the solar farm is set to provide OVO customers with clean energy as part of the energy company’s commitment to be a zero carbon business by 2035. It will also cut 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

The announcement comes just months after the new Government set its ambitions to deliver a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030, which requires the UK’s solar power generation to triple.

Gurpreet Gujral, Managing Director at Atrato Partners, said: “Tripling the UK’s solar capacity by 2030 is no mean feat, however the UK’s potential to achieve it is indisputable.

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“From roof-top installations to record-breaking solar farms of this scale, driving forward solar projects is not only fundamental to reaching the UK Government’s target of a clean electricity system by 2030, but a net zero economy entirely.”

“Today, Power Purchase Agreements are making it easier than ever for businesses to decarbonise operations. Through solar installations, energy providers and businesses more generally can make enormous emission cuts and have certainty over energy supply.

“Our agreement with OVO will play a fundamental role in meeting the growing demand from citizens across the UK for cleaner and greener energy.”

Susie Leppard, Head of Renewables at OVO, said: “Our PPA with Atrato Onsite Energy at Skeeby is another example of how the renewable generation sector and retail suppliers like us can come together to enable greater volumes of cleaner energy into the UK’s energy system.

“This partnership supports our focus to deliver cleaner energy for our customers while building a greener grid.”

During the planning phase, the site underwent an Ecology Assessment which involved surveys of species, such as the badgers and great crested newts, to assess the potential biodiversity net-gain (BNG) of the site.

The findings of the assessment showed that, once planned habitat enhancement activities take place, the site is expected to achieve an on-site net gain of 118% for habitat units, and 56% gain in hedgerow units, dramatically exceeding the requirements of at least 10% BNG of the Environment Act 2021[4].

The Yorkshire solar farm – which saw an investment of £39.4 million from Atrato – is the company’s largest investment to date.

It follows Atrato’s £28 million solar farm in Northamptonshire, which provides Britvic – one of the world’s largest drink suppliers – with 75% of its electricity in Britain by supplying clean energy to factories in Rugby, London and Leeds through a ten-year Power Purchase Agreement.