Video: Solar leases – a landowner’s perspective

Lightsource bp has been working on solar projects across the UK and Ireland for over a decade, and during that time we’ve formed strong partnerships with the landowners of our projects.

We sent a team out to Hillside Solar Farm in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland, to speak to landowner Stephen Campbell about his experience of having a solar farm built on his land, and how he found working with Lightsource bp on the project.

Stephen is one of many landowners benefitting from long-term, predictable income from a solar lease, alongside the ability to continue generating revenue from sheep grazing on the same land.

Throughout the visit, Stephen talked us through the development process, and told our team all about the ways in which he’s continuing to grow his business alongside solar. The project is home to a flock of sheep, meaning that the land retains agricultural use, and Stephen’s contracting business provides services to the Lightsource bp Operations and Maintenance team, cutting grass and maintaining the landscape in and around the project.

The Hillside solar project has an installed capacity of 6.5MWdc, was developed and constructed by Lightsource bp and since becoming operational in 2017 has been managed by the Lightsource bp Operations & Maintenance team. The project is now owned by Schroders Greencoat.