New Dawn For Solar Power At Historic Hydro Site
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Drax.
This is the sub-heading.
Renewable energy pioneer Drax has completed the first in a series of solar power installations across its historic Galloway and Lanark hydropower schemes in Scotland
These paragraphs add more details.
The state-of-the-art panels have been installed on the roof of Glenlee power station in Galloway as part of an £850,000 investment by Drax. Around 1,500 panels will be fitted as part of the project by Drax’s project partner Geo Green Power. The renewable electricity generated by the panels will mainly be used to meet the hydro scheme’s own power needs, helping to cut an estimated 500 tonnes of CO2 through displacing the need for fossil-fuel generation from the national grid.
The initiative is a positive step towards realising Drax’s commitment of achieving net zero emissions across its value chain by the end of 2040.
This solar installation seems a sensible one.
- I suspect the solar panels, share the grid connection with the hydropower scheme’s existing one.
- The panels are on the roof, so I doubt anyone will complain.
- The solar panels will cut the need for fossil-fuel generation.
- Drax has nine hydro power stations in the UK, so I suspect others can have solar roofs.
It does seem, that those with big roofs are being signed up to cover them with solar.
In SSE Energy Solutions Powers Ascot’s Shift To Electrification With One Of UK Sport’s Largest Rooftop Solar Projects, I wrote about how Ascot racecourse had been fitted with a solar roof, at no upfront capital cost to the racecourse.
How Much Solar Power Will Be Installed In The UK By 2030?
I asked Google AI this question and received this reply.
The UK government aims to install 45 to 47 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity by 2030.
Key Details
Current Capacity: The UK has roughly 17.5 to 18 GW of installed solar capacity.
The Plan: Reaching the 2030 goal means more than doubling or nearly trebling current capacity.
The Strategy: The UK Solar Roadmap outlines a push for a “rooftop revolution” alongside large-scale ground solar farms. It allocates about 36.2 GW to distribution networks and 10.8 GW to transmission connections.
It looks to me, that if you have a large roof, use a lot of electricity and have a good grid connection, you might get a solar panel salesman knocking on your door.
But if it all works out, the UK will end up with 45 to 47 GW of grid-connected solar power.
The Anonymous Widower 