Why UK shut down its largest community solar farm
What's the story
UK's largest community solar project has been temporarily shut down by the government's energy system operator. The decision was taken to prevent the local grid from being overloaded with renewable energy. The Derril Water solar park in North Devon was closed weeks before record high temperatures across Europe led to power supply warnings.
Grid stability
Fears of thermal overload prompt shutdown
The shutdown was ordered over fears that the high level of rooftop solar in the area could destabilize the power grid by causing a "thermal overload."
The cooperative scheme's nearly 10,000 members are likely to lose around £2 million in revenue due to this unexpected closure.
The board of the cooperative described this order as "enforced on our solar park and other generators in north Devon with no warning."
Financial strain
Financial impact on cooperative members
The board of the cooperative expressed concerns about the financial impact of this unexpected shutdown.
They said it would "substantially impact" the scheme's finances, including payments to members.
They added, "The interruption creates unexpected financial pressure and will impact our ability to pay members at least in the near term."
Network management
National Grid instructed to shut key 'super grid transformer'
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is said to have instructed National Grid to shut a key "super grid transformer" over the summer.
This was done to stop the rooftop solar in the area from pushing transmission network voltage beyond its limits.
The board believes that problems with the north Devon network have been known since 2023 and new equipment was due by late 2025 but has now been pushed back until September this year.