Graveney Primary School visit to Cleve Hill Solar Park
The whole school cohort walked to the site along the Saxon Shore Way on a sunny and hot June day.
They were met with some welcome shade and refreshments (and portaloos) before splitting into groups to learn more about three key topics:
Energy from the sun – how it works and why we need it.
Bird ringing – what can we find out from ringing birds?
Wildlife on the site – eels, water voles, badgers, frogs and more.
Reece Monk, solar construction Project Manager, led the solar energy topic, packed with interesting facts and figures. Did you know that:
The solar panels at Cleve Hill are the largest in the world.
The east/west roof-like configuration of the panels is the largest in western Europe.
Cleve Hill is the largest solar park with co-located battery energy storage in the UK.
Terry Hilsden and Ray Morris (expert bird ringers who collect bird data on behalf of the British Trust for Ornithology) were supported by Helena and Eddie from Bird Wise. Their session was action packed with the children finding out about how birds are safely caught in nets so they can be inspected, ringed, weighed and measured. Several children were lucky enough to hold the birds and release them after all the information had been gathered.
The enthusiasm and knowledge of Terry and his team kept the children enthralled and was the highlight of the day for many.
Jon and Drew are the ecologists who work to protect the species that live, breed and visit the solar park site. They spoke about their work to protect the water voles that live in the ditches, and answered questions on a wide range of other creatures. The “do you know what this animal is” photo quiz got some great answers including dinosaurs (reptiles) and meer cat (stoat).
The CHSP team will use this initial visit as a foundation for future engagement with local schools, to build a key legacy of the project over the lifetime of the park.