Green energy provider Infrabee is celebrating a major double success after plans for a 29-hectare solar farm site in the New Forest were approved and two further sites qualified for Government support under the latest round of Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme.

The dual successes have been announced just weeks after the long-standing joint-venture between real estate specialists Boultbee Brooks and leaders in low-carbon infrastructure development, Infraland, rebranded itself under the new name of Cambridge-based Infrabee.

Planners have granted permission for an £8.5m solar farm proposal on land close to Walkford Farm on the border of Bransgore and New Milton in Hampshire, which will provide enough electricity for up to 5,000 homes a year.

The 15MW site will not only contribute to the UK’s net zero ambitions by combatting climate change, but it will also create jobs, provide a diversified income stream to a local farm business and generate £2.3m in business rates over its lifetime.

Additional planting of species-rich grass, wildflowers and new hedgerows around the site will also significantly benefit the environment by increasing the area’s net biodiversity by as much as 122 per cent.

Infrabee will produce and supply renewable energy solutions through a series of solar and battery sites across both the UK and Europe as it looks to play a key role in the global switch to a more sustainable and planet-friendly fuel resource.

There are currently 25 sites planned across the UK which are either under development or ready to build, with five expected to connect over the next 18 months and the rest due to be energised over the next four years.

Two of these sites – at Costock and Burton Top – have recently qualified under auction round six of the Government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme which offers green energy producers long-term revenue protection.

The (CfD) scheme guarantees fixed payments for electricity generators by shielding them from fluctuating market prices, encouraging investment into renewable energy production and limiting the prospect of financial losses.

Long-term CfDs are struck between the generator and the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) which is Government owned and fixes the ‘strike price’ or the level of income per unit of electricity.

Auction round six is by far the biggest ever designated by the Government with yearly subsidies of more than £1bn available to a range of renewable technologies, including offshore wind, solar, onshore wind and tidal stream.

Costock in Nottinghamshire (66MW) and Burton Top in South Stainley, just north of Harrogate (10MW), were successful in the auction process with a strike price of £50.07/MW.

Infrabee Director Henry Brown, comments:

“We are delighted that the various projects we have embarked on are beginning to show the fruits of our and the wider team’s labour. This is a truly exciting double win for the team."

“The clean energy from the New Forest solar farm would result in a reduction in carbon emissions equivalent to taking about 2,140 petrol cars off the road for 40 years.”

Fellow Director, Nick Barber, added:

“It is great to have received our planning consent at the New Milton site. Our success in the CfD auction is also very exciting as it will enable us to develop and deliver green energy solutions with the financial backing and support of the Government.”

In relation to the New Forest site, Infrabee was assisted by Pegasus Group who provided expert planning advice.