14.08.19
Council-owned solar farm generates £1.2m for frontline services
West Suffolk Council, through its local authority-owned solar farm, has raised more than £1.2m in funds to support frontline services in the past three years.
The 12.4MW solar farm at Toggam Farm, in Lakenheath, is one of the largest council-owned solar farms in the UK and has exceed expectations in its third year of operation, generating £1.5m in income – some £100,000 more than anticipated.
Through sales to the National Grid, West Suffolk Council have managed to raise nearly £4m in funds since the solar farm was set up in August 2016.
A percentage of those funds are earmarked for use supporting frontline services. This year alone, West Suffolk Council calculates that the Toggam Farm solar farm has generated £560,000 towards the funding of these services.
Over the past 12 months, the solar farm has generated 12,631MWh of electricity, over 1,000MWh greater than the site’s target. This generated electricity equates to enough to power around 3,300 homes and offset carbon dioxide emissions from 1,500 cars.
Cllr Sarah Broughton, cabinet member for performance and resources at West Suffolk Council, said: “This is just one of the many ways the council is not only successfully reducing our impact on the climate, but also creating an income stream to support services and other ambitions.”