Ketton solar plant wins industry award

The eight megawatt solar energy site at Ketton cement works in Rutland has won a top industry award. The 20 hectare installation, which features 38,544 panels, was named as best ground-mount solar site below 10 megawatts by the media group Solar Power Portal UK. BBC Springwatch presenter Kate Humble presented the awards, which celebrate success and innovation in the growing solar power industry.

Contracts manager Mark Cox, who heads the in-house renewable energy team, and senior sustainability manager Martin Crow attended the ceremony as guests of Lark Energy, who installed the solar panels. They will generate enough electricity to cover around 10 per cent of the site’s electricity consumption.

The judges said all the short-listed sites in the ground-mount category demonstrated innovative solutions, sensitive siting, appropriate site management and exceptional energy yield. But they singled out the Ketton project for its “innovative active power management which sets a standard for difficult connections.”