DESNZ has announced record levels of new solar and onshore wind projects as part of its latest renewables auction.

28 onshore wind projects with a total capacity of 1.3GW were awarded Contracts for Difference (CfDs) in Allocation Round 7. Coming weeks after the Government announced the results of its offshore wind auction, the combined results hold 201 projects, generating potentially 14.7GW.

New onshore wind has been agreed at a price of £72.24/MWh and new solar at £65.23/MWh.

Successful projects include the Imerys Wind Farm in Cornwall, the largest onshore wind project to be successful in England in a decade and Sanquhar II Wind Farm in Dumfries and Galloway, the fourth largest onshore wind farm in the UK.

For solar energy, there is the West Burton solar farm, now the largest solar farm ever to win a government renewables contract and transforming the home of the last coal-fired power station into a hub for renewable energy.

There are projects throughout Britain; in Scotland (1.09GW, 21 projects), England (28MW, 2 projects) and Wales (185MW, 5 projects).

These results also follow the publication of the Local Power Plan, a fund of up to £1bn that will enable communities across the UK to own and control their own clean energy projects.

The Government has set a target of 27-29GW of onshore wind to reach clean power by 2030, which is double our current operational capacity in England, Scotland and Wales. So far, a total of 18GW is either built or under construction or has a contract to go ahead. The 1.3GW secured in this round will get the UK closer to the 2030 target, but the Government will need to procure between 3.85 to 4.85GW in the next two auctions to achieve its goal.

In addition to the new onshore wind capacity secured today, four tidal stream projects in Wales and Scotland were awarded contracts.

---