Quarterly Newsletter June 2024

Quarterly update on Gawcott Solar’s performance and community impact.

Performance update:

This quarter, our electricity generation experienced a 13% shortfall compared to projections, totalling 620MWh due to an unusually cloudy spring. Sunshine levels were down by 15% from the projected average for the quarter. Additionally, a grid outage in January, beyond our control, resulted in a loss of 35MWh in generation. Despite these challenges, we remain optimistic for a sunnier summer ahead!

Community Impact:

Schools explore renewable energy at Gawcott Solar Farm!

In late April, Earth Energy Education hosted two days of fun activities at the Gawcott Fields Community Solar Farm, welcoming students from Buckingham, Grenville, Roundwood, and Lace Hill Primary Schools.

During their visit, students learned about renewable energy, climate change, electricity, and solar panels. Students began with a tour of the solar farm, where they discovered the components of solar systems and how energy travels through them. They also had the opportunity to explore biodiversity and conservation efforts on the solar farm, with some even spotting deer along the way!

The excitement continued with hands-on workshops the following week, focusing on Solar Panel Investigations and circuits. The children had a great time, buzzing with new knowledge and excitement for renewable energy.

Solar Soft Loans for community organisations and schools

Solar Soft Loans will help Gawcott Solar turn surplus income generated from our community solar farm into solar panels on the roofs of schools and community buildings within 5km of our solar farm. Our aim is to help organisations that would not have the funds to do it themselves, to install  solar panels. The repayment of the Solar Soft Loan is based on a share of the actual cost savings. We will reinvest the loan repayments into our community fund to support even more incredible local projects.

Get Ready for Great Big Green Week in Buckinghamshire!

From June 8th to 16th, join the UK’s largest celebration of community to tackle climate change and protect nature! People up and down the country will come together in a wave of support for action to protect the planet. Expect talks, walks, and family-friendly activities organised by climate action groups and charities.

Dive into the action and discover what’s happening near you at greatbiggreenweek.com today.