From Sunlight to Site Work, Solar Farm Construction Begins in November

Construction of a 43,000-panel solar farm in Berkshire is due to begin in November after Wokingham Borough Council signed a contract with carbon neutral developer Equans. The solar farm, planned on farmland south of Barkham, is expected to generate enough electricity to power around 9,400 homes. The land is owned by Wokingham Borough Council, which says the project will provide both renewable energy and long term financial benefit. The facility is expected to begin generating electricity in September 2027, while full grid connectivity is anticipated by 2029. Imogen Shepherd Dubey, the council executive member for finance and governance, described the contract as an important step forward for the council. She said the development would also create new walking and cycling link, increase biodiversity and involve the planting of hundreds of trees, which she said would leave a lasting legacy for local communities. According to the council, the solar farm is expected to generate more than £1m in annual income for the authority. Environmental measures are also planned at the site. The council has worked with local charity Freely Fruity to plant around 1,000 fruit trees as part of the project. The development has been in the pipeline for several years. In January, the council said the solar farm was expected to be built 10 years ahead of schedule, bringing forward a project that had previously faced a much longer timeline. However, the project has also involved changes to the site previous agricultural use. In 2021, tenant cattle farmer Andrew Lake, who rented High Barn Farm from the council and kept around 360 cows, was told to leave the land to make way for the solar farm. The council had previously said that the land would be returned to agricultural use after 25 years, once the solar farm reaches the end of its planned life cycle. With construction now scheduled to start in November, the project is moving from years of planning towards physical development, with the council expecting both renewable energy generation and a significant financial return from the site.