Ouse Valley Solar Farm: A Community Energy Project for Ringmer
The Ouse Valley Solar Farm is a local renewable energy project developed by Ovesco, a community energy organisation based in Lewes.
The solar farm will be owned by the members of a Community Benefit Society, including local residents and ethical investors who support community energy.
What is the Ouse Valley Solar Farm?
Located just outside Ringmer, the Ouse Valley Solar Farm will generate clean, renewable electricity for thousands of homes for the duration of its long-term, temporary lease. This means the land is used for solar generation for a set period, after which it will return to the farmer who owns it in its improved ecological condition.
Long-term benefits
During its lifetime this solar farm is expected to achieve over 200% biodiversity net gain, creating a rich habitat for wildlife alongside renewable power generation.
This combination of a temporary planning application, a long-term lease, and a proven biodiversity boost, means the project supports the environment, benefits the community, and avoids the pitfalls of large commercial developments.
The focus is on local ownership, ecological benefits, and community gain, not lining pockets or creating permanent change to the landscape.
How It Works – The Ovesco Model
The solar farm that Ovesco is helping to build will be owned by an independent community benefit society. Local people are invited become members by investing in the solar farm. Once the farm has covered its costs and starts generating profit, the excess profit will go into a community benefit fund, which supports local projects.
Here’s more detail on how the model works:
Every solar farm is its own community company
Each Ovesco project is owned by the members of a separate, stand-alone organisation or special purpose vehicle (SPV) as a community benefit society (CBS) registered with the Finical Conduct Authority (FCA). This is required for legal and technical reasons and ensures:
- strong financial governance
- clear accountability
- the use of an asset lock to safeguard the community investors and prevent selling the project for private gain
This approach also means every project allows for locally ownership, with excess profits ring-fenced for the community it serves.
Local people are at the centre of the project
Once the solar farm is built and begins returning a surplus, the members can have a say in how profits are used.
Shareholders have equal voting rights, can be voted onto the board of directors and have a vote at an annual AGM on how the company operates. This isn’t a commercial developer. It’s your energy project.
Where the profits go
Just like other Ovesco projects, the Ouse Valley Solar Farm is expected to generate a community benefit fund, which will support local energy and environmental projects.
Ringmer Academy already benefits from two solar systems funded by members of Ovesco’s community benefit societies
Example of a Community Solar Farm
A good example is Meadow Blue Community Energy, another Ovesco-supported solar farm in West Sussex.
Meadow Blue Community Energy is majority-owned by local investors, and its profits are directed to a community fund supporting local charities, schools, and sustainability projects.
You can visit the Meadow Blue Community Energy Community Fund webpage to learn more about which projects they have supported, how much money was donated, when and what the outcomes were.
The Ouse Valley Solar Farm will follow a similar not-for-profit model – local ownership, local decision-making, and local benefit
Benefits for Ringmer
- Locally owned renewable energy generation
- A community fund for local energy and environmental projects with priority given to Ringmer
- Improved biodiversity and soil health
- The opportunity for the local community to invest and have a say in their local energy future
Next Steps
The project is currently moving through development stages.
A community investment offer is expected to launch after the solar farm is constructed, when local residents will be invited to invest and become members in the community benefit society.
If you’d like to stay informed about progress and learn more about how to get involved, please sign up for updates below.
I am writing as policy Director on behalf of Greenpeace UK in support of this proposed solar farm. It is vitally important in the context of climate change, sky-high fossil fuel prices that cheap renewable power is delivered to the UK. Solar power is one of those sources that can do that.
We are in a climate emergency – as I write record spring temperatures are threatening livelihoods and food production across India and Pakistan. Carbon Brief have calculated that new solar (and wind) are six times cheaper than running existing gas plant to provide our electricity. Greenpeace support this application.
As an enthusiastic supporter of community energy schemes, I am writing in support of the proposed Ouse Valley Solar Farm. Not only should this be seen as a small but important contribution to addressing today’s Climate Emergency, but there are wider implications to be considered.
With the world’s attention focused on Ukraine, the importance of energy security has been powerfully reinforced. This is as relevant at the local level as it is nationally. A 17MW solar farm will make a significant contribution to local energy needs.
I read the summary of the proposal, and am impressed by the thought that has gone into ensuring benefits for the wider community over and above the electricity generated.
The Biodiversity Net Gain commitments are particularly important in such a beautiful part of the world, and I was impressed by ideas regarding the extension and repair of the existing hedgerows.
For schemes of this kind to succeed, with full community support, they need to be designed with maximum attention to local features and conservation concerns. That would clearly appear to be the case here.
