SSE acquires its first 30MW solar project in its role as the UK’s national clean energy champion
Today is a significant milestone for SSE with the acquisition of our first solar project and shows our serious ambitions in this market
SSE has announced details of its first solar project that will deliver 30MW of clean energy as part of its ambitious £12.5bn investment programme to power change towards net zero.
As the UK’s ‘national clean energy champion’ SSE is committed to deploying renewable energy technologies and has purchased the project development rights for its first solar project in England from the developer Stark Energy.
The 30MW solar farm at Littleton Pastures is located near Evesham in Worcestershire. Once complete in late 2023, the 77-acre site will be capable of powering some 9,400 homes.
SSE Group is investing around £7m a day on critical low-carbon infrastructure to facilitate the transition to net zero. Solar energy is regarded as a complementary technology to other sources of renewable technology such as wind power.
SSE’s distributed energy team is developing opportunities of over 1GW in solar and battery storage technology and recently announced its first 50MW battery storage project in Wiltshire.
Richard Cave-Bigley, SSE Sector Director for Distributed Generation and Storage, said Littleton solar farm would be the first of many such projects. “Today is a significant milestone for SSE with the acquisition of our first solar project and shows our serious ambitions in this market,” he said.
“We see solar as a key complementary technology to SSE’s existing portfolio of low carbon infrastructure such as wind and hydro and one that can power us towards net zero. Last year we announced our first battery storage project, and we are fully focused on developing over 1GW of solar and battery technology. We look forward to being able to announce further solar and battery projects during 2022.”
SSE has a strong track record of constructing and operating renewable energy projects in the United Kingdom and we are delighted to be working with them on our Littleton project. We look forward to supporting SSE through the construction process and seeing the project through to its connection.
SSE Energy Solutions has announced that its first 50MW battery storage project in Salisbury will be delivered by the technology group Wärtsilä.
Last year SSE Energy Solutions announced it had purchased the project development rights for its first 50MW battery storage asset on a consented site in Wiltshire, from Harmony Energy Limited.
SSE Plc is investing £7m a day into low carbon infrastructure as part of its £25bn NZAP (Net Zero Acceleration Programme) until 2030. The battery will be the first of SSE Energy Solutions grid-scale solar and battery projects to support access to clean, reliable energy by balancing the intermittency of renewables.
The order was booked to Wärtsilä’s intake in March this year and the system is expected to become operational in September 2023.
About SSE Energy Solutions
SSE Energy Solutions provides local energy infrastructure solutions to decarbonise your organisation along with clean, renewable energy for your business.
With our whole system approach we lead the way in developing the low-carbon assets and infrastructure required for the UK to reach its target of net zero emissions by 2050.
We are building flexible networks to deliver the sustainable energy we all need to heat our homes and businesses, drive our cars, and power our lives by decarbonising our transport, heat and energy.
Find out about more decarbonisation projects here:
About the SSE Net Zero Acceleration Plan
As the UK and Ireland’s national clean energy champion, we're investing £12.5bn by 2026 – 65% uplift on previous plan – putting us on track to invest £25bn this decade. This equates to around £7m a day to be spent on critical low-carbon infrastructure needed in net zero transition. Our Net Zero Acceleration Programme will deliver, by 2026:
- £1bn additional capital investment per year versus previous plans
- A doubling of existing renewables net installed capacity to 8GW
- A sustainable renewables development pipeline in excess of 15GW including Solar & Battery Storage
- Over 2.5 times more capital allocated to renewables growth
- Growth in electricity networks, increasing Regulated Asset Value (RAV) to £9bn
Our commitment to Green Jobs
SSE has committed to generating 1000 jobs a year to 2025 We’re a real Living Wage and Fair Tax Mark accredited company and currently employ 10,000 people across the UK and Ireland.
You can view SSE’s full five-point ‘greenprints’ for economic recovery in the UK and Ireland here:
Careers at SSE Energy Solutions
Click Here to see careers at SSE Energy Solutions in our Solar & Battery Storage Team
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