One Horton Heath is an exciting sustainable development initiated by the Eastleigh Borough Council in Hampshire. This innovative project aims to provide 2,500 homes, a vibrant local centre, a primary school, and a sports field, as well as better infrastructure, three new commercial hubs, and a host of connected spaces and informal areas for wildlife to thrive.

As part of its commitment to sustainable development, the Eastleigh Borough Council has acquired the 6.3 megawatt solar farm situated at the heart of the One Horton Heath community. This site hosts over 25,600 solar PV panels covering around 34 acres of land. 

To construct a new link road between Hedge End and Bishopstoke, passing through the Council’s One Horton Heath development, 3.5 acres of the solar farm had to be relocated. The new road is a crucial piece of local infrastructure designed to provide a direct and efficient route for vehicles and cyclists traveling east towards Eastleigh and the M3 corridor. 

To successfully relocate and optimise the 3.5 acres of ground-mounted solar, Ecogen Energy was responsible for the following tasks:

• Conducting IV curve and fill factor testing on all panels
• Dismantling and relocating the solar arrays
• Relocating 3.5 acres of a 6MWp solar farm
• Laying 3km of underground cables
• Reconfiguring DC strings across 3MWp
• Reprogramming inverters and SCADA monitoring systems
• Fully labeling new and existing solar panel circuits, string combiner boxes, and cabling
• Recommissioning and testing all DC and AC components
• Ensuring the system is operational
• Checking the operational status of the SCADA monitoring system
• Providing all handover documents, including certificates and warranties

Technologies

Inverters: ABB (FIMER) inverters

Panels: JA Solar 

Mounting kit: Solarports