Case study: Kings Hill solar park

Our buildings use a substantial amount of electricity across the estate which produces significant carbon dioxide emissions. As part of our commitment to a Net Zero 2030 goal, we wanted to reduce emissions relating to estate electricity use.

The problem we faced

We have a large and varied estate including a range of listed and heritage buildings which can be difficult to decarbonise. As it could be difficult to reduce electricity emissions through efficiency measures alone, we looked at the potential to generate sustainable energy within Kent.

What we did

Kings Hill Solar Park was commissioned in October 2023, funded under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund on a 11.9-acre site built with the help of the delivery partner LASER and others. Total construction cost for the solar park was £5 million and we contributed £1.545 million capital investment.

Results

The result was the construction of a 2.98 MW solar park, comprised of 24 inverters and 6,480 solar panels.

The expected energy output from the site is 2.8 million kWh per year, which is is the equivalent of 750 homes being supplied with renewable power. This is a much cleaner way of generating power, compared to traditional fuel sources which for the same number of homes would equate to 621 tonnes of CO2 produced.

It is set to provide an ongoing annual revenue estimated at over £13 million over the lifetime of the farm, covering all the ongoing running costs whilst replacing some of our CO2e from energy generation.

There is a requirement, as part of the planning conditions, to provide a 10% biodiversity net gain. To meet this goal, an additional hedgerow was planted along the south and east boundary of the site, along with the installation of bird and bat boxes and hibernacula wildlife nesting sites during the construction phase.

The ongoing management of the site includes the ability to monitor, review and enhance site biodiversity, including a not-for-profit conservation organisation which provides services for the management of habitats for various species and growth of plant life, and the introduction of sheep to graze the grassland around the solar panels, thus reducing the requirement to mow the site.

The future

By 2050, the grid should be producing 100% renewable energy, meaning that the emissions reduction benefits from the solar park will diminish at which point the site can be deconstructed without leaving a carbon footprint.