Town to get increased capacity for solar farms and car chargers

Western Power Distribution is developing the network to boost local jobs and the economy, as well as supporting emerging technologies needed for Net Zero emissions.

The company will upgrade and build new electrical infrastructure and substations, also helping to enable more Green developments, such as electric vehicle chargers, mass heat pump installations and renewable generation, such as solar parks, to connect to the electricity network.

This will help as local demand for electricity increases to heat homes and to power vehicles. WPD expects that up to 1.5million electric vehicles and 600,000 heat pumps will be used to keep us moving and heat our homes by 2028.

In Sleaford WPD will upgrade the overhead power line network, adding 16 megawatts of extra capacity for demand and 16 megawatts capacity for renewable generation such as solar farms. This extra capacity equates to the installation of around 10,000 domestic electric vehicle chargers or more than 400 rapid electric chargers to be connected in the town.

Green developments like these will ensure that drivers will have the charging facilities necessary when travelling across the country and that there is sufficient charging available for the influx of electric vehicles ahead of the ban on new petrol and diesel car sales by the UK government.

Graham Halladay, WPD’s operations director, said theinnovations will play a pivotal role in driving a Green recovery after the pandemic: “Our wide-ranging projects will help with some of our biggest Net Zero challenges, including electric vehicle range anxiety, battery storage and the decarbonisation of our heating systems. The time is now to cut emissions and ensure the clean and sustainable future of generations to come.”