Otterpool Park is a hugely ambitious new development between Kent. It is to be one of Britain’s first all-electric towns, including all homes in the development, eliminating the need for fossil fuels outright. This innovative project aims to provide sustainable living for its future residents while contributing positively to the national energy grid.
Otterpool Park has an expected renewable energy capacity of approximately 34 megawatts. It aims to offer all of its 8,500 future homes and businesses advanced energy-efficient technologies. Electric hobs and heating systems, rooftop solar panels and electric vehicle chargers will be built into each new home. Each 300 houses will tap into a shared district-level grid scale battery. Combined, this new setup will reduce energy consumption and increase storage efficiency.
Future residents of Otterpool Park will enjoy an average of £200 a year in energy bill savings from day one. As a piece of its energy plan, the town will operate as a virtual power plant for the wider area. It will only pull power from Britain’s grid when needed—particularly in winter months. When demand is low, it will feed surplus electricity back into the National Grid.
Beyond the garden town, a 500-acre solar farm is proposed on council-owned land next to Otterpool Park. This town’s new facility is on track to produce enough electricity to power 50% of the small town’s energy needs. The tech development team has made an agreement with the firm SNRG. Together, they’ll conceptualize and implement a smart energy grid that increases the effectiveness and the reach of energy delivery.
“No one single [electric vehicle] charger could create this impact – but reducing the charge for a few seconds on every charger could create an aggregated benefit. A small contribution from each charger creates a big saving for the grid,” – Dan Nicholls.
The wide-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies will play a critical role in addressing climate change by drastically reducing carbon emissions. Jim Martin, a sustainable development advocate who fought for passage of the project, called it historic.
“This is a perfect example of what can be delivered using renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions,” – Jim Martin.
The solar park is still in the middle of an unusual planning application. For local councillors, it appears a wonderful opportunity to produce renewable energy at no cost to local taxpayers. In exchange, residents can expect a community that leads with sustainability and fosters greater economic savings and operational efficiency.