Scottish Power has revealed plans to install solar arrays and battery storage at its existing onshore windfarms as part of a new hybrid power strategy that seeks to make the best use of grid connections and land.
The company said the “vast majority” of its future developments will also combine two or more of the technologies, including its current pipeline of more than 1000MW of onshore wind capacity.
The new strategy will see the company build solar farms for the first time in its history. It has already submitted planning applications for arrays at its Carland Cross, Coal Clough and Coldham windfarms in Cornwall, Lancashire and Cambridgeshire respectively.
Speaking at the COP25 climate summit in Madrid, Scottish Power chief executive Keith Anderson said: “Every green megawatt of electricity will be crucial if we stand any chance of hitting net zero in 2050, so innovation from energy companies is more important than ever. This means squeezing the absolute maximum potential out of every clean energy project that we consider.
“In the UK and Ireland, the perfect of blend of clean power from onshore renewables should include a mixture of clean energy technologies. The costs for building wind, solar and batteries have reduced considerably in recent years, and they complement each other very well. They perform best at different times of the day and at different times of the year.”
At the beginning of 2019, Scottish Power sold its portfolio of gas, hydro and pumped storage assets to Drax, making it in an entirely renewable generator.