The UK renewables developer GRIDSERVE completed this “game changing” hybrid solar-plus-storage farm in York, unveiling a 34.7MW solar farm that boasts bifacial panels and single-axis trackers, a first for the UK solar market and what is thought to be the most northerly combination of the two cutting edge technologies in the world, bifacial panels and trackers – and the site ‘stacks’ a number of revenue streams in order to be financially feasible without subsidy support. And it’s those revenue streams, driven by the combination of bifacial panels, trackers and battery storage, which have allowed for the project to come forward without the need of subsidies.
Toddington Harper, chief executive at GRIDSERVE, said that subsidy-free projects such as this demonstrate that the UK is capable of meeting its net zero obligations “well before 2050”.“We’ve completely rethought the solar model to maximize value, and we’ve now demonstrated that we have what it takes to make projects like this a reality. To replicate this success, we are now looking to partner with additional landowners, developers, and to acquire project rights,” he said.
Mr. Vincent Cao, Vice President of Suntech, said that in the past 19 years, Suntech has striven to deliver high-quality and cost-effective PV products to the market. “We will keep on working with valued partners like GRIDSERVE and wholeheartedly provide reliable products to all our customers.”
More than 90,000 bifacial PV modules supplied by Suntech make up the energy generation element of the site, with single-axis trackers supplied by Nextracker used to shift the generation portfolio of the solar farm.