Work on the development of a West Yorkshire solar energy project has reached a major landmark with the start of construction work on site.
OnPath Energy (formerly Banks Renewables) secured unanimous planning approval in 2021 for the Barnsdale Solar Energy Park, which sits between Kippax and Allerton Bywater to the east of Leeds, and which will be able to generate enough electricity to meet the annual requirements of up to 13,000 family homes.
Since then, the OnPath project team has been finalising the detail of the project, which will include solar panels covering an area of around 50 hectares of south-facing land and will link directly into the Ledston Primary electricity sub-station to the south east of the site.
And now, work has begun on creating the Barnsdale site entrance, which will then allow for its overall development to proceed in the new year.
The initial work is being carried out by contractor Cheetham Hill Construction, under the supervision of specialist infrastructure consultancy AECOM.
Alongside the green energy it will generate, the Barnsdale Solar Energy Park’s detailed ecology and biodiversity strategy will also see the biggest increase in biodiversity for any renewable energy project within Leeds to date.
As part of OnPath’s policy of delivering tangible benefits to the local communities in which its operations are based, over £800,000 of the revenues generated by Barnsdale will be directed into a community fund that will provide grants to support local community groups and voluntary organisations over its lifetime.
OnPath Energy owns and operates four onshore wind farms in Yorkshire, including the Hook Moor Wind Farm near Leeds.
Will Rust, development planner at OnPath Energy, says: “This is a significant landmark in the development of a project that will deliver a wide range of environmental, ecological, energy security and social benefits to local communities and the wider region.
“The Barnsdale Solar Energy Park will also further extend the contribution OnPath Energy is making in Yorkshire towards meeting the UK’s crucial Net Zero targets, and we’re excited to see development work now starting at the Barnsdale site.
“Our four Yorkshire wind farms generated enough electricity in our last financial year to meet the annual electricity needs of more 33,400 homes, or a city around the size of Wakefield, and we’re very pleased to be moving quickly towards adding to this figure.”
