{"id":1700,"date":"2026-04-09T08:40:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/?p=1700"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:40:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:40:59","slug":"new-solar-farm-sparks-greener-future-for-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/?p=1700","title":{"rendered":"New solar farm sparks greener future for council"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff<\/p>\n<p><meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no\"><meta http-equiv=\"X-UA-Compatible\" content=\"IE=edge\"><meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no\"><meta charset=\"utf-8\"><title>New solar farm sparks greener future for council<\/title><meta name=\"description\" content=\"\"><meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"\"><meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index,follow\"><meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index,follow\"><meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\"><meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"New solar farm sparks greener future for council\"><meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"\"><meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"website\"><meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/press-releases\/new-solar-farm-sparks-greener-future-for-council\/\"><meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New solar farm sparks greener future for council\"><meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:'Arial',sans-serif\">Officers and Members from Westmorland and Furness Council and Vital Energi gathered at the new 2MW solar farm at Sandscale Park in Barrow to celebrate the project\u2019s official completion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:'Arial',sans-serif\">The solar farm is a first for the council and the renewable energy project marks a key milestone in their ongoing efforts to combat climate change and meet their Net Zero targets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:'Arial',sans-serif\">The site, which has been successfully completed in six months, will generate green electricity to offset the council\u2019s carbon emissions, in line with its Carbon Management Strategy and Climate Action Plans. It is the first of more schemes to come as part of the council\u2019s wider decarbonisation programme of work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:'Arial',sans-serif\">Thanks to almost 3,700 solar panels, the site is expected to generate enough electricity to power the council\u2019s five leisure centres or approximately 730 homes per year, based upon average UK households, also delivering significant carbon savings.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image rte\" data-anchor=\"\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-image__wrap\">\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__img-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rich-text-image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/b2hfyy4s\/wfc-sandscale-park-barrow.jpg?anchor=center&amp;mode=crop&amp;width=835&amp;height=474&amp;rnd=133764010869130000\" alt=\"WFC Sandscale Park Barrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__text-container\">\n<p>The 2MW solar farm is made up of 3,700 solar panels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/javascript:\" class=\"js-read-more-rte read-more-btn\">Solution detail<span class=\"btn__link font-ico-plus\"><\/span><span class=\"btn__link font-ico-minus\"><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:'Arial',sans-serif\">The completion of the project is a significant step forward in the council&#8217;s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and promote sustainability in response to the growing challenges posed by climate change. In addition to contributing to the council\u2019s income generation, the solar farm will mitigate rising energy costs and enhance the council\u2019s energy sovereignty, independence and security, providing a robust solution for future energy needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:'Arial',sans-serif\">The scheme was delivered in collaboration with the council\u2019s strategic partner Electricity North West, main contractor Vital Energi, and specialist advisors Green Cat Renewables. The site is now connected to the national grid and generating electricity.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote\">\n<div class=\"wrap quote__wrap\">\n<div class=\"swiper-container js-simple-quotes\">\n<div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n<div class=\"quote__holder\"><span class=\"quote__icon\"> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"36\" height=\"28\" viewbox=\"0 0 36 28\"><g fill=\"#F58220\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M12.319 0h3.648a2 2 0 0 1 1.838 2.788l-10.286 24A2 2 0 0 1 5.681 28H2.033a2 2 0 0 1-1.838-2.788l10.286-24A2 2 0 0 1 12.319 0zM30.319 0h3.648a2 2 0 0 1 1.838 2.788l-10.286 24A2 2 0 0 1 23.681 28h-3.648a2 2 0 0 1-1.838-2.788l10.286-24A2 2 0 0 1 30.319 0z\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg> <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"quote__holder\">\n<p class=\"quote__text\">Sandscale Park solar farm is an example of us using our assets in an innovative way to meet a serious challenge. The rise in energy costs is affecting us all, and by establishing this site we\u2019re now able to generate our own energy and ensure security for the future, which can only be a positive thing. Huge thanks to the teams and partners involved for their support and expertise in making this vision a reality. Their contribution has been vital to the successful delivery of this ambitious project, and we look forward to seeing the long-term benefits this solar farm will bring to both the environment and Westmorland and Furness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"quote__author\">Councillor Peter Thornton , <span class=\"quote__position\"> Westmorland and Furness Council<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image rte\" data-anchor=\"\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-image__wrap\">\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__img-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rich-text-image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/tmelxahj\/wfc-sandscale-park-barrow-2.jpg?anchor=center&amp;mode=crop&amp;width=835&amp;height=474&amp;rnd=133764014772230000\" alt=\"WFC Sandscale Park Barrow 2Climate change remains one of the greatest challenges to this generation, and for many generations to come. It is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and humanity globally, with the devastating impacts of it already seen\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__text-container\">\n<p>Members of the team gathered at the official Sandscale solar farm opening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/javascript:\" class=\"js-read-more-rte read-more-btn\">Solution detail<span class=\"btn__link font-ico-plus\"><\/span><span class=\"btn__link font-ico-minus\"><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<p>Climate change remains one of the greatest challenges to this generation, and for many generations to come. It is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and humanity globally, with the devastating impacts of it already seen and experienced in Westmorland and Furness.<\/p>\n<p>In recognition of this, the project included plans to enhance biodiversity at the site. A Biodiversity Enhancement Plan ensured a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain, creating opportunities for pollinators and enhancing woodland, hedgerows, and habitats.<\/p>\n<p>Councillor Giles Archibald, Westmorland and Furness Council\u2019s Cabinet Member for Climate, Biodiversity and Environmental Services, added:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis solar farm is a landmark achievement, not just for our council but for Cumbria as a whole. We already have solar panels on several of our buildings but this marks the first time we have harnessed the natural power of the sun at this scale and is a proud step forward in our fight against climate change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is a project which ensures that the natural environment thrives alongside our efforts to generate green energy and I\u2019m pleased to see biodiversity has been a key consideration. A range of native tree and hedge species have been planted as well as habitats created to support our rich local wildlife including pollinators, bats and a variety of birds such as house sparrows, wagtails, nuthatch and redstarts. I look forward to seeing how else we can make effective and efficient use of our assets on our journey to carbon net zero.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff New solar farm sparks greener future for council Officers and Members from Westmorland and Furness Council and Vital Energi gathered at the new 2MW solar farm at Sandscale Park in Barrow to celebrate the project\u2019s official completion. The solar farm is a first for the council and the renewable energy project marks a key [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"ve_media_section":[3],"ve_media_year":[],"ve_sector":[],"class_list":["post-1700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","ve_media_section-press-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1700"},{"taxonomy":"ve_media_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fve_media_section&post=1700"},{"taxonomy":"ve_media_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fve_media_year&post=1700"},{"taxonomy":"ve_sector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fve_sector&post=1700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}