BayWa r.e. is delighted to announce that Provisional Acceptance for the repowering of the Kingston solar park in Wiltshire, UK, has now been achieved. This marks BayWa r.e.’s first repowering project in the UK.
BayWa r.e. has managed Kingston Farm on behalf of its client, Gresham House, a specialist alternative asset manager, since 2017. The site is a 15 hectare, 5 MW ground mounted PV solar park commissioned in 2011.
Working in partnership with Gresham House, BayWa r.e. identified both decreasing inverter reliability and manufacturer support at Kingston Farm due to the age of the site. BayWa r.e. was subsequently engaged by Gresham House to undertake a detailed study for the potential to repower the plant.
Utilising its in-house expertise, BayWa r.e. proposed a suitable repowering solution which considered various commercial elements and the compatibility with the required permissions granted by external authorities. The final design alleviated potential technical issues whilst being economically feasible within the agreed budget. The project has since been delivered successfully, on time and in budget, using top quality equipment sourced as part of BayWa r.e.’s global procurement partnerships.
Natasha Kumar, Managing Director, BayWa r.e. Operation Services Ltd said: “The ongoing operation and maintenance of a renewable energy plant is crucial to ensuring it operates at its peak efficiency and success. The team has successfully demonstrated this at Kingston Farm, and we are very pleased to have reached the exciting milestone of BayWa r.e.’s first repowering project in the UK. We look forward to replicating this success in future projects to drive generation of economical, low-carbon power in the UK.”
As a result of the successful delivery of the Kingston Farm project, BayWa r.e. is now working on further UK repowering projects on behalf of Gresham House.
Bozkurt Aydinoglu, Investment Director at Gresham House added: “We are delighted with the outcome of the repowering project at Kingston Farm and look forward to optimised asset performance, the increased lifespan of the asset and a successful long term financial model for the plant. We are also pleased to be continuing our partnership with BayWa r.e. to deliver further repowering projects in the UK as well as to meaningfully contribute to the UK’s decarbonisation.”
Outside of the UK, BayWa r.e. is also driving forward repowering projects in Germany, Spain, France and Italy as its core markets in Europe.
