The two solar PV (photo-voltaic) assemblies will provide Jersey with 750,000 units of renewable electricity for at least the next 25 years, according to Jersey Electricity.
A 2,500sq-m array on the roof of Jersey Dairy and a 1,311sq-m array on a warehouse roof at Woodside Farms will be connected to the grid following final commissioning and testing.
The new arrays, along with ones previously installed at the Power Station and Queen’s Road Solar Hub, will produce enough electricity to power around 135 homes.
JE commercial services director Peter Cadiou said: ‘We understand there is a desire for Jersey to be more energy independent by increasing on-Island renewable electricity generation. Getting commercial-scale local solar power onto Jersey’s grid for the benefit of everyone is therefore a milestone for the Island.
‘It is still more expensive to produce than buying low-carbon renewable hydropower and nuclear power from France, so our objective is to make the integration of local renewables affordable, while also ensuring network stability and supply reliability despite their intermittency.’
Jersey Dairy managing director Eamon Fenlon said their dairy farmers were ‘committed to good environmental practices and this project fits with that commitment’.
Woodside Farms owner Charlie Gallichan said: ‘Renewable-energy projects like this not only minimise our environmental impact, they are a form of diversification that will help to reduce our costs and assist the future sustainability and financial viability of modern farming businesses.’
JE partnered with SunWorks to install the arrays.
Mr Cadiou said JE was looking for more local partners ‘to help us increase the volumes of locally generated solar power on the grid’.
