Nissan to build a solar farm in northern England

Nissan claims the new solar field it is going to build in the northern UK will supply up to 20% of the power needed for its Sunderland factory to function.

The projected power output is indeed rather impressive at 20 megawatts. The construction is set to begin in December and finish in May. The factory site already receives a total of 11.35 MW of electric power from ten wind farms and one solar farm, but the new one is shaping up to become the largest by far.

Used batteries will be reused to store up to 1 MW of the power generated, saving it during the day and spending it during the night.

The Sunderland industrial site specializes in producing the Nissan Leaf, but it should eventually begin making traction batteries, too. By the late 2020s, the company expects to cut lithium-ion battery production costs by 65% and gradually transition to using solid-state batteries.

By 2036, Nissan will have invested around $1 billion in nine other solar stations in northern England.