Albert Bartlett is to become the latest business to partner Jersey Electricity in the generation of solar power for use on the grid.
The UK’s leading potato supplier has agreed to lease the roof of its St Helier potato processing plant for Jersey Electricity (JE) to create the biggest solar array in the Channel Islands in a similar deal to that JE has with Jersey Dairy and Woodside Farm, which are already generating a combined 750,000 kWh (units) of electricity a year.
Sized at 556kWp and measuring over 3,250 square metres, the Albert Bartlett array is twice the size of Woodside and just slightly larger than the Dairy’s and will become the fifth community scale solar array JE has installed to feed directly on to the grid. It is expected to generate over half a million units (562,610 kWhs) of electricity each year.
JE CEO Chris Ambler said: “Jersey Electricity continues to invest in the kind of future Islanders want. That future means, clean, reliable and affordable electricity as Jersey transitions to net-zero 2050 bringing even greater demand for low-carbon power.
“Jersey’s network is already suited to the integration of local renewables with our low-carbon imported nuclear and hydro power. Though more expensive than imports, projects like this, with business partners, make on-Island renewables more affordable while also ensuring network stability and supply reliability despite their intermittency.
“Such schemes also allow local business partners to benefit from long-term lease income and our customers to benefit by having access to a share of larger scale, local renewable power in much the same way as smaller community-based schemes.
“Though local solar power will not reduce the carbon emissions of Jersey’s electricity which, at just 23g CO23/kWh, is to all intents and purposes, already decarbonised, there is clear appetite among many Islanders for more energy independence.
“We want to support the Island on the journey to net-zero and we have a grid that can support a variety of energy sources in the future. Our longer-term focus is to work with more partners to increase volumes of solar on the grid and further reduce its costs. In parallel with this, we continue to closely monitor and explore offshore wind and tidal power technologies, which are both materially more expensive than imported electricity albeit with offshore wind economics strongly improving.”
Tim Ward, Albert Bartlett Jersey Operations Director, said: “We’re delighted to be able to contribute to the generation of clean energy for the Island. Albert Bartlett relies on agriculture for its business, so we understand it is vital that we continue our efforts to minimise our impact on the environment as our own company works towards net-zero carbon by 2040.”
The parties have agreed a 25-year lease and work on the installation is expected to begin in the summer.
The main picture (by Tony Pike) shows Tim Ward, Albert Bartlett Jersey Operations Director and Jersey Electricity Commercial Services Director Peter Cadiou.
