Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, has secured £700,000 of grant funding from the Government’s Mayoral Renewables Fund to build a solar farm in Derbyshire.
The Mayoral Renewables Fund from the recently formed Great British Energy aims to support Combined Authorities across England to deliver priority renewable energy generation projects on their own estates.
Derbyshire County Council will use the £700,000 to develop a 2MW solar farm on reclaimed land that was part of the Williamthorpe Colliery, a former coal mine near Chesterfield. The installation of the project is due to be completed in Spring 2026.
The site will generate around 1.9 million kWh per year which is enough energy to power over 700 homes annually, based on average UK households. The energy generated on the solar farm will be exported to the grid and will reduce Derbyshire County Council’s energy bills by more than £100,000 per year. Over the project lifetime, it is expected to save the council more than £3m.
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said: “I’m spearheading a green industrial revolution here in the East Midlands to protect future generations from the impacts of the climate crisis. Last year, we said farewell to the use of coal in our region, and we’re now transitioning to become a clean energy powerhouse, with solar being an important part of the energy mix.
“Our approach to tackling the climate crisis presents a huge opportunity for our communities. We’re creating a region that is more resilient and sustainable, which will support everyone who lives in the region to thrive.
“As Mayor, I’m putting national net zero policy into practice on a local level by securing this funding – and this is just the start of our productive relationship with Great British Energy.”
