In an innovative £2.5m partnership, we've created Wales' first ever council owned and operated solar farm capable of powering 700 homes.
We’re committed to creating sustainable energy solutions for society which not only reduce environmental impact but generate value in local communities too.
In an innovative £2.5m partnership between British Gas and Wrexham Council, we’ve created Wales’ first ever council-owned and operated solar farm. It’s also one of only three solar farms in the UK. The 2.64MWp project consists of 8,800 solar panels and is projected to generate 2,355MWh annually - enough to power 700 homes and save 1,300 tonnes of carbon.
The site is based on agricultural land with three quarters of it available for sheep grazing while the solar panels occupy the remaining 43 acres, which is equivalent in size to 15 football fields. British Gas designed, built and commissioned the solar farm and used local specialist companies to install the panels to boost the local economy.
The farm’s low carbon electricity will be fed into the local electricity network for use by the community, with any surplus sent to the national distribution network. The council will also generate an income from the panels through the Feed-in Tariff which helps create additional funds for benefitting the local community.
Councillor Neil Rogers, Lead Member for Economic Development and Regeneration at Wrexham Council, said: "One of the Council's priorities is to be an environmentally responsible place and I am delighted that this farm is now operational and able to support that priority. I would like to thank everyone involved in making this project a success and look forward to seeing more solar fields come online in the future.”
The project shows British Gas’ commitment to enabling all types of organisations to benefit from renewable technology in order to provide a reliable supply of sustainable power, long-term financial returns alongside significant carbon reduction.
The farms follows a recent pioneering solar partnership between British Gas and Toyota UK in North Wales during 2014, whereby 13,000 solar panels were installed to reduce carbon emissions from manufacturing.
Read about our sustainable stories and innovative partnerships from across our business.