Chelson Meadow Community Solar

The project will develop a 14MWp solar farm on the closed Chelson Meadow landfill site. Saving approximately 2,600 tonnes of carbon per annum, the solar farm will be owned and managed by Chelson Meadow Community Solar – a joint venture between Plymouth City Council and PEC Renewables. 

The project will provide up to 60% of the Council’s electricity needs by using an innovative virtual power purchase agreement; the UK's first between a local authority and a community-owned solar farm. This guarantees long-term revenue for the project and energy price security for the Council, as well as crucially unlocking the investment required to scale renewable energy in the city. 

They aim to prove the concept of the  virtual power purchase agreement model, and by doing so provide a blueprint for replication nationwide, accelerating progress towards the 8GW Local Power Plan target. Learning and information from the project will be shared and disseminated to other local authorities and community energy groups to enable replication of the process. 

Funding will enable the project to reach financial close, enter into an EPC contract to commence construction, and site energisation in summer 2026.