Grazeley Solar Farm

The solar farm has been carefully designed to integrate with the natural surroundings

West Berkshire Council is taking a big step towards a greener future with the development of a new £18 million solar farm at Grazeley. Helping to deliver on commitments made in our Environment Strategy, the project will move us towards achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

The Grazeley Solar Farm is designed to generate renewable energy locally, feeding it back into the grid to help reduce carbon emissions. Projects like this are crucial in securing sustainable power supplies, stabilising energy costs and mitigating the long-term impact of rising energy bills for residents. Current estimates suggest that the farm will reduce our carbon footprint by more than a third, while also generating an annual income to support the essential services
we deliver.

The solar farm will be constructed on council-owned farmland at Bloomfield Hatch, situated between Mortimer and Grazeley. Equipped with approximately 35,000 solar panels, the farm is expected to generate around 20 megawatts peak (MWp) of energy - enough to supply electricity to approximately 6,500 homes. With a 30-year lifespan, the project will save roughly 111,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions - the equivalent of removing 1,500 cars from the road.

The solar farm has been carefully designed to integrate with the natural surroundings, minimising disruption to trees and hedgerows while enhancing biodiversity through wildflower meadows and grassland planting.

As climate change continues to be one of the greatest global challenges, initiatives like the Grazeley Solar Farm pave the way for a more sustainable future.