Major new solar plant to power thousands of homes in the UK
Thousands of families and businesses in the UK are set to benefit from more solar power as the government has approved a major new solar power plant project.
Tillbridge Solar Farm in Lincolnshire is expected to support some 1,250 jobs and power hundreds of thousands of British homes, the government said in a statement on Tuesday (14 October).
Solar is the cheapest form of power available for the country, and families can save around £500 a year on their energy bills by installing solar panels.
The government is also consulting on mandatory community benefits for communities hosting ground-mount solar, meaning families who live near a solar farm would directly benefit through funding that can be spent on local priorities, like new education schemes, new grassroots football pitches or better transport links.
Businesses and families are still feeling the impact of the country’s reliance on volatile global gas markets, which helped cause the biggest cost-of-living crisis in memory, with the price of gas still 75% higher than it was before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The only way to protect bill-payers from future price shocks is to drive forward with clean, homegrown power that Britain controls, said Energy Minister Michael Shanks.
“Families across Lincolnshire and the rest of the country have seen their energy bills go through the roof as a result of our exposure to volatile gas prices,” he said.
“Solar is one of the cheapest and quickest power sources we can build, it is crucial in our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower – giving us energy security, good jobs and growth across the country.”
