Project Fortress

Project Fortress (formerly Cleve Hill Solar Farm) is a photovoltaic power station under construction on the Graveney marshes between Faversham and Whitstable, Kent in the UK.[1]

Project Fortress
Country
  • United Kingdom
Location
  • Graveney Marshes
Coordinates51°20′04″N 0°56′34″E
StatusUnder construction
Construction began
  • April 2023
Construction cost
  • £450 million (2023)
Owner(s)
  • Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners
Solar farm
Type
Power generation
Nameplate capacity
  • 373 MW
External links
Websitewww.clevehillsolar.com

Once operational, it will be the largest solar farm in the UK, generating 373 MW of electricity from 900 acres (360 ha) of vertical solar panels and will also include 700 MWh of battery storage.[2][3] Because of its size, it is a nationally significant infrastructure project so outside the standard local planning procedure.

Electricity will be exported from the project via the 400 kV National Grid substation at Cleve Hill, constructed to serve the London Array offshore wind farm that lies to the north. Here, a battery array will be placed, that will charge from the sunlight during the day and release the energy at night when it is needed. [4]

History

The solar farm was initially developed in partnership by Hive Energy and Wirsol Energy Ltd under the name Cleve Hill Solar Farm. It was acquired by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners in October 2021 and renamed Project Fortress. [5][6] The 800 acres (320 ha) of Grade 3b agricultural land will be covered by the east-west facing solar photovoltaic panels. [7]

The planning process faced opposition by residents and environmental groups on the grounds of loss of biodiversity resulting from covering large areas with PV panels, and safety, where concerns were raised about a possible fire and explosion of the battery blocks.[8][9]

Construction on the project started in April 2023.[3]

  • Ditches on the Graveney marsh
    Ditches on the Graveney marsh
  • Construction of the sub-station 2009
    Construction of the sub-station 2009

See also

References
  1. Wright, Joe (28 May 2020). "UK's biggest solar park approved for Kent". Kent Online. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  2. "Cleve Hill Solar Park". www.erm.com. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  3. Heynes, George (2023-04-25). "UK's 'largest' solar and battery storage project begins construction". Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  4. "Welcome to our website - Welcome". Welcome to our website. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  5. "Quinbrook acquisition | Solar Power Portal | Quinbrook acquires Cleve Hill". Solar Power Portal. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  6. Wright, Joe (2021-10-24). "UK's biggest solar farm renamed Project Fortress in takeover". Kent Online. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  7. "Wirsol | Your Partner for Renewable Energy | Cleve Hill Solar Park". Wirsol. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  8. Southworth, Phoebe (2020-05-10). "UK's largest solar farm could cause explosion on scale of small nuclear bomb, residents complain". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  9. "'Solar farm explosion would be like nuclear bomb'". Kent Online. 2020-05-03. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
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