Solar

ZCI develops solar farms in-house, from the first look at a substation through to sale.

Strichen Solar Farm

Our current project is Strichen Solar Farm in Aberdeenshire, a 5MWac / 6MWdc site that has passed through the UK Government’s Gate 2 grid reform process. Strichen is Ready-to-Build and for sale. Full details are on the project website: strichensolarfarm.com.

What we did

ZCI ran the full development pipeline for Strichen:

1. Identified spare grid capacity at the substation
2. Found suitable land
3. Carried out site surveys
4. Built detailed technical and financial models from local irradiance data (PVsyst)
5. Negotiated with landowners, then agreed Heads of Terms and the lease
6. Commissioned biodiversity surveys
7. Secured planning permission from the Local Authority
8. Worked with solicitors on land, grid and corporate matters
9. Took the site through Gate 2
10. Prepared a secure Data Room with all documentation a buyer needs
11. Opened sale discussions with investors

Since Gate 2 was introduced, solar development has become considerably harder. A single site means working with the Distribution Network Operator, the planning authority, local government, landowners and solicitors, often in parallel.