Issue date: 17 March 2026
Several innovative energy projects are being rolled out by the county council later this year to support the move to clean energy use across West Sussex.
These new projects follow a decade of work by the county council to expand local clean energy generation, including building two solar farms and installing many roof mounted solar photo voltaic (PV) systems.
The council’s projects currently generate approximately 17 MWh of green electricity each year - enough to power more than 6,300 homes. They also provide a net annual income of more than £2 million to support the organisation. This income helps to offset the council’s own energy costs and supports essential local services by reducing expenditure on electricity and generating revenue from power exported to the grid.
The new projects due to come on stream in 2026 include a large energy storage site, new solar PV and energy storage systems for schools and council buildings, and funding for energy efficiency upgrades.
- Halewick Lane Energy Park - A 16MW energy storage system developed with our contractor, Enable Infrastructure, on a former waste site. Once operational, the system will store energy when it’s plentiful and make it available when renewable sources are not generating power. Building resilience through energy storage in this way helps the grid meet growing demands for clean electricity from domestic heat pumps and electric vehicles. The county council will also generate revenue by providing this service.
- Solar PV & Battery Programme - With more than 70 solar PV systems already installed on West Sussex schools, we've embarked on a new, 3-year programme to reduce corporate energy costs and carbon emissions. New solar PV & energy storage systems will be installed on approximately 60 corporate buildings and schools to make the most efficient use of the clean electricity generated. Designs are ready and are installations scheduled for the next eight sites, comprising schools, libraries, and fire stations.
- Energy Reinvestment Fund - A new fund is being launched to invest in energy efficiency work, such as low energy lighting and insulation, which will help to reduce the amount of energy consumed in county council schools and corporate buildings for years to come. It is called a ‘reinvestment’ fund because the financial savings made by reducing energy consumption will pay back the cost of the energy measures installed over time, meaning that the funding can then be invested again to deliver further projects.
Cllr Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “I am delighted to see these new projects come to fruition. They are excellent examples of our support for the transition to clean, green energy and show how seriously we take our commitment to protecting the environment.
“As with all our energy projects, these new initiatives are also built on sound financial foundations to ensure the county council can recover capital outlay and, where appropriate, deliver a return on investment, as seen through our 2 solar farms."
Tangmere solar farm, the authority’s first largescale renewable energy generation project saw 18,300 solar panels installed on the former RAF Tangmere site in 2015. The site has regularly exceeded projections for energy generation performance and financial return, enabling the county council to pay back the original £5 million cost of construction in just 8 years.
The county council’s second solar farm on a closed landfill site at Westhampnett, near Chichester, has also performed well since opening in 2018. The 7.4MW site features 26,000 solar panels and a co-located 4MW battery system which can provide additional services to the electricity grid when needed.
Westhampnett solar farm was the first council-owned site of its kind to be developed without the need of feed-in-tariffs, which were government subsidies for generating solar electricity.
These innovative clean energy projects support the county council’s commitment to protect the environment via its Energy Strategy and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
