Salford’s first two-megawatt solar farm has been connected to the national grid and is set to provide electricity to around 800 homes.
The site has 3,774 ground mounted solar panels and is set to generate over 2,000 megawatt hours of electricity a year.
The solar farm is expected to save over a thousand tonnes of carbon every year, which is the equivalent of taking over 600 cars off the road.
The Salford City Council has stated that the farm will be used to offset the council’s electricity bills, “saving thousands of pounds.”
The Salford Mayor Paul Dennett and Councillor Mike McCusker visited the 3.8-hectare site today (Match 25) which is located off Kenyon Way in Little Hulton.
Cllr McCusker, Lead Member for Planning, Transport and Sustainable Development, said: “The solar farm and solar car ports are an important step for us towards carbon neutrality and working towards a greener future and a cleaner, fairer city.
“Not only will they reduce the council’s carbon footprint, but they’ll also save us a considerable amount of money on electricity bills – money that can be better spent on crucial council services.”
The solar farm follows the installation of solar car ports at the council’s Turnpike and Swinton Hall Road depots, which provide power to the buildings on site and will further reduce the council’s electricity costs and carbon emissions.
The solar farm is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Salford City Council and is part of the drive for Salford and the rest of Greater Manchester to become carbon neutral by 2038.
David Oatt, Regional Manager at Vital Energi, the main contractor for both the solar farm and solar car ports, said: “These projects mark a definitive step on the council’s net zero journey and demonstrate the role renewable energy can have in helping local authorities to decarbonise their estate.
“We’re proud to deliver both projects for Salford City Council, contributing to a cleaner, greener Greater Manchester including increasing biodiversity with planting around the site to attract wildlife to the area.”
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