GRIDSERVE has bought an operational solar farm and battery storage project near Bedfordshire that was built without any subsidies from government.

Anesco has completed the sale of Clayhill, which has a total solar capacity of 10MW and a 6MW energy storage facility.

The plant generates enough electricity to power around 2,500 homes while saving around 4,500 tonnes of carbon a year.

Anesco will continue to provide operations and maintenance services for the site under a 20-year agreement with GRIDSERVE.

GRIDSERVE’s plans include using some of the power generated by Clayhill for its Electric Forecourt in Braintree, which forms part of its ‘Sun-to-Wheel’ model – delivering net zero carbon electric vehicle (EV) charging, powered by clean energy generated from solar power.

Jeremy Cross, Chief Commercial Officer at GRIDSERVE, said: “The addition of Clayhill to our portfolio – which marks GRIDSERVE’s first acquisition of an operational solar farm – will enable us to guarantee that the amount of energy used at our Electric Forecourt® in Braintree has been generated from zero-carbon solar power.

“Our mission is to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change and this project will help us to support the UK’s transition to net zero transport in the earliest possible timeframes.”

It is the first in a planned rollout of more than 100 Electric Forecourts and EV charging solutions across the UK over the coming years.