Clean energy company Enviromena has switched on its first UK solar farm in Winchester, which is capable of providing enough electricity to power 9,500 homes and offset 6,800 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

The 110-acre, 25.4 MW Three Maids Hill site comprises 47,088 bifacial modules and boasts the latest cutting-edge module technology in order to maximise project energy production over the design life of the site.

Enviromena secured planning approval for Three Maids in summer 2021, making it their first fully consented development site since entering the European market and this has since been followed by further planning consents on solar and energy storage projects across the UK and Italy.

The site will help to address both local and national renewable energy targets, in the face of the biggest surge in household energy bills for more than 50 years. It is the first in a large pipeline of sites which the Enviromena team will develop, construct and manage over the coming years as they seek to support the global move towards net zero.

Enviromena’s Chief Operating Officer Gary Hales, who heads up the experienced operational team responsible for the build of over 100 ground mounted solar projects in the UK, said: “Our work and safety culture is of the highest standard and it demonstrates that we are committed to safely delivering complex projects on budget and on time. We now look forward to providing operations and maintenance services for the life of the array.”

Mark Harding, European Development Director at Enviromena, said: “Three Maids represents a major milestone in Enviromena’s history. We have now proven that Enviromena’s fully-integrated development and operations business model, and our team, can successfully develop and safely construct attractive, bankable renewable projects in major European markets.”