Wrexham’s First Solar Farm Has Official Opening

Wrexham Council’s solar farm has been officially opened by Mayor of Wrexham Cllr Barbara Roxburgh who unveiled a plaque on the site in Legacy.

The farm itself is situated on agricultural land just outside Wrexham town centre and is ideally located next to a dedicated substation supplying the local electricity network.

Capable of powering the equivalent of 700 homes per year, the farm is the first in Wales to be owned and operated by a local authority.

Overall the farm has 8,800 solar panels over 43 acres and saves 1,300 tonnes of CO2 per year. It is 2.64MWp in size and is projected to generate annually, the equivalent of powering 700 homes per year.

It will be dual use with sheep grazing at the same time as the panels generate green energy (anecdotally one person told us at the site visit that the sheep can use the panels as little houses!)

Cllr Neil Rogers, Lead Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, 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 solar farm was installed by British Gas, who started work in the middle of January and finished in May.

Chris Morrison, Head of Solar at British Gas Business, said: “This project is extremely important – it proves that solar energy is a sound investment not just for commercial organisations but also for councils and the public sector in Wales.

“British Gas is committed to supporting organisations of all types to benefit from renewable technology such as solar energy that will provide them with a reliable supply of power, long-term financial returns and significant carbon reduction.”

Council Leader, Cllr Mark Pritchard, added: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in this very successful project. The first I hope of many in Wrexham as we continue to use every means available to us to reduce our carbon footprint for current and future generations.”

The Solar Farm opening is one of several carbon reduction initiatives put in place by Wrexham Council over the last few years.