Blenheim has begun work on a new solar park on former agricultural land north-east of Woodstock.

Once completed, the 6.5 hectare site will be capable of producing seven megawatts of clean, renewable energy – enough to power 721 homes.

The Weaveley solar park is the first to have been built by Blenheim and is part of its aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2027.

In addition to generating power, the new park will also reduce CO2 emissions by almost 15,000 tonnes over a 15-year period.

Work on the new site began this month and it is hoped the park will be fully operational by March 2022.

“This solar park is the first step in our committed aim of becoming carbon neutral within six years,” said Blenheim’s Estates Director Roy Cox.

“Solar is a clean, green, and renewable source of energy, and will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Once the panels are installed, they are pollution-free and cause no greenhouse gases to be emitted.

“We will feature the very latest monocrystalline PERC solar modules, which work all year round and mean, even on cloudy days, we can still harvest solar,” he added.

The solar park is being built by Bouygues E&S Solutions Ltd, a global leader in the development and construction of utility-scale solar power plants and other low-carbon and renewable schemes.

As part of the project additional native trees and hedgerows will be planted and fencing around the site’s perimeter will include ‘mammal holes’ to allow wildlife access to foraging habitats.

The solar park forms part of Blenheim’s ‘Climate Pledge’ to become carbon neutral on scopes 1-3 of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) protocol across all operations by 2027 and, beyond that, to remove 230,000 tonnes CO2e from the atmosphere by 2050.

CO2 refers to carbon dioxide, while CO2e stands for "Carbon Dioxide Equivalent" which includes CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

“We believe global warming is now the single biggest threat to Blenheim’s long-term survival,” said Roy.

“By 2027 we aim to reach carbon negative status by having 50 per cent of our visitors arrive in a carbon friendly way, generating at least double the energy we consume and reducing the carbon footprint of our existing buildings by 25 per cent.”

“Ensuring we achieve these aims is now the dominant goal of the estate’s entire leadership team. We know the actions we take today in this regard will help protect our natural resources for the future,” he added.

Blenheim said it has three focuses for its core business in the years leading to 2027 that include; leaving a legacy to be able to share and protect the historic place for future generations, eliminating its carbon emissions to support the climate emergency and ensuring it enhances the lives of the people of Oxfordshire.

There are three core business areas that deliver to achieve these aims; property development, a visitor business and the land management of the 12,000 acres of estate.

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