Charging hub with 15MW solar farm to open in Dorset

Solar panels

An electric vehicle charging hub with a 15MW solar farm has been given the green light for development by Dorset Council.

The Blandford Hill Eco Hub will accommodate nineteen electric vehicles at the same time, with 6 ultra-rapid (up to 350kW) chargers and 6 rapid (43-100kW) charging points. It will also have Tesla Superchargers.

Rather than rely solely on the grid, the charging hub, from Naturalis, will have a 15MW solar farm set across four farmer’s fields. The solar panels will be state-of-the-art, optimised to capture as much energy as possible.

The solar panels will feed an energy storage system, a giant battery that supplies the chargers. The total capacity of the system will be 18MW, a huge number that makes it one of the largest of its kind in the UK.

Excitingly, the hub will give drivers a way to charge with 100% renewable energy generated from solar. The hub will also connect to the grid, with supplementary power available for peak demand.

At £10 million, the Blandford Hill Eco Hub won’t come cheap. Naturalis Energy Developments, the company behind it, is a joint venture between the REG Power Management group and Falck Renewables. The hub will be located off the A345 and is due to open in late 2022.

Source: Solar Power Portal

James Lewis is our resident electrical head. He drives an MG ZS EV (2018, which he loves) and plans to get the new one soon. James is much more excited by the lower end of the EV market and is looking forward to the Ora Cat.