The Home of British Helicopters Goes Solar

The Good News -

Leonardo has been building helicopters in Yeovil, Somerset for more than 100 years, and is one of the town's main employers, employing 3,000 people at its site. Known as the "Home of British Helicopters", alongside Conrad Energy, Leonardo confirms that planning for their 15.23MW solar farm has now been approved, with construction work planned to start in August 2024.

Key Facts:

Energy Production: 

• The solar project aims to have a capacity of up to 15.23MW (megawatts).
• Once fully operational, the site will generate enough energy to power the equivalent of up to 6,500 homes for the factory.

Carbon Emissions:

• Saving around 3,877 tonnes of CO2 every year.
• Solar panels have lifecycle emissions of approximately 12 times less than natural gas.
• Lifecycle emissions of solar panels are 20 times lower than coal.

Environmental Impact: 

• Over its 40-year lifespan, the solar farm aims to save around 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
• Said to be fully reversible after 40 years, with rested land benefiting from 80% increased biodiversity and an improved ecosystem.
• The soil will potentially be enhanced, as it will be far less intensively farmed during this time.

Quotes Relating to the Project -

"The Leonardo site in Yeovil is an incredibly important business and Conrad Energy's team is offering a solution to help them move towards their net zero targets, whilst also working to fulfil the aims of the local council. Long term partnerships that ensure community engagement and a positive biodiversity impact are integral to the way we work, as the energy transition requires support from all of us. Conrad Energy is thrilled to have secured planning consent and look forward to bringing this solar farm to life for the benefit of the local economy and environment." - Steven Hardman, Conrad Energy's CEO

"We will continue to support Somerset Council's Climate Strategy to become a carbon neutral county by 2030, by exploring new routes through which we can obtain responsible renewable energy sources. Leonardo is committed to achieving a near-term Net Zero target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 to reduce its environmental impact and the use of solar energy from this facility will help us move forward on this important journey." - Paul Coombs, VP Leonardo Global Solutions UK Facilities, Real Estate and Projects – Helicopters."

Getting The Balance Right

With the sun being a CO2-free power source - and one of the best energy sources we have - solar energy's environmental impact is significantly smaller than many other traditional energy generation methods. 

Conrad Energy aims to balance cutting carbon and conserving the countryside, working closely with local communities to create clean energy sites while protecting biodiversity. Their pipeline of solar projects amounts to over 1GW, including another new project at Larport Solar Farm, which will provide 45MW of renewable power to a large multinational organisation.

Somerset's Decarbonisation Journey

Somerset was the first county council in the UK to pass a motion declaring the climate emergency and was ranked the best county council in the UK by Climate Emergency UK in 2022. Part of that ranking was a perfect score in the Mitigation & Adaptation category, including plans for decarbonisation of energy generation. 

For further information on this article, please visit: https://conradenergy.co.uk/energy-generation/renewable-power/solar/camp-road-solar-farm/

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