Despite suffering through some of the wettest weather the country has seen, electricity generation at the Fen Farm solar park has far exceeded original expectations.
The 5,157 solar modules at the Lincolnshire site, called Ecotricity, have generated over one MW of power in its first 12 months of generation.
This figure is four per cent more than what was originally expected. The sun park site is able to provide carbon efficient power for up to 250 homes.
Solar installer BeBa Energy, located in Hemel Hempstead, said that the unexpectedly high performance of the park was down to high-quality products and components in addition to a careful system design.
UK technical director for BeBa energy UK Darren Oliver said that the company had previously completed sites in Germany using Emerson inverter systems, and decided they were the best option for the Lincolnshire site following the products' success in its overseas venture.
"At Fen Farm we have had no problems at all from the outset. The client is pleased with the performance ratio and there have been no breakdowns – it has just worked exactly as it should," Mr Oliver said.
The solar power development has reduced carbon emissions by approximately 544 tonnes, in addition to the vast amount of clean energy it has provided.
It is now predicted that the Fen Farm solar park will pay back its original investment in approximately ten years' time.
The 1.95 hectacre Ecotricity site is also home to a 20 MW wind farm, which feeds electricity into the same substation as the solar power. It has been generating sustainable power through this measure since 2008.
Wind power and solar energy work together to create a form of hybrid power generation. The two systems complement each other, in regards to different weather conditions being favourable to one or the other process, if not both.