Former landfill sites could generate extra revenue for hard-pressed U.K. local authorities by hosting solar-plus-storage projects.
Image: M&R Glasgow/Flickr
Cambridgeshire County Council will use capped landfill sites in Woodston and Stanground – in Peterborough – to host solar-plus-storage sites, to generate new revenue.
EPC company Bouygues E&S has suggested construction of a 2.25 MW solar array co-located with a 10 MW battery storage system at the Stanground landfill. At Woodston, Bouygues has proposed a 3 MW battery without solar. Both batteries would provide demand side response services to the national grid.
According to project documentation, the council has estimated the Stanground site would bring in revenue of £1.4 million in its first year and Woodston a further £380,000, albeit subject to uncertainty.
The project proposal cites recent policy suggestions by the National Grid and energy regulator the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, that would make tendering of grid services and balancing mechanisms more transparent and accessible.
In its business case summary, the council estimates the two sites would have payback periods of 9.4 years for Woodston and 8.9 years for Stanground, and a combined, 25-year net return of £45.9 million. The council owns the land at both sites.
The repurposing of closed landfill sites for solar-plus-storage is not new in the U.K. In October, West Sussex County Council commissioned a 7.4 MW solar farm co-located with a 4.4 MW battery storage system at one of its former landfills, also with the aim of raising revenue.
Source: pv magazine
