A look at our pioneering solar farms

We became a Scottish first at the end of last year – when we became the first local authority in Scotland to operate our own solar farm.

Our team worked incredibly hard to bring this innovative project together and were delighted that the first of two Council-operated facilities was officially switched on in October 2025.

The massive facility at Nethermains – between Irvine and Kilwinning – features more than 12,000 solar panels and will create enough energy to power more than 2,000 homes.

The team, including Senior Manager Jennifer Wraith and Project Manager Gavin Lafferty, were joined by North Ayrshire Council Leader Marie Burns and Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy, who switched on the facility.

A second solar facility at Shewalton, a former landfill site in Irvine, with more than 8,500 panels, was then switched on just a few weeks later.

These projects are the first solar farms to be owned and operated by a local authority in Scotland and mark a major milestone in the Council’s bid to cut carbon emissions.

Key info from our solar farms

- Nethermains solar PV farm is expected to generate about 7,600MWh of electricity - The Shewalton facility is expected to generate 5,400MWh of electricity annually - The two farms will reduce our CO2 emissions by about 2,700 tonnes annually - Both are expected to generate income of £400,000 annually for 25 years

The 24.3-hectare site at Nethermains, which is near Bartonholm Waste Recycling Centre, is a former landfill site which was unsuitable for alternative development. In addition to the solar farm, over 8,000 trees have been planted on the unused land.

Alongside the sister site at Shewalton, the creation of the two solar farms represents a £12.465 million investment by the Council and is key to our ambition to become net-zero by 2030. The sites are key elements of delivery of the Council's Sustainable North Ayrshire Strategy and will have the added bonus of earning income for the Council to help sustain local services by selling the electricity to OVO via a Power Purchase Agreement

Jennifer said: “We are delighted and proud to be involved in this transformational solar farm project. As a Council we are always looking at innovative and new ways of how we can deliver for our communities. The solar farms will provide a welcome revenue stream for the Council which can be re-invested into North Ayrshire to help us fight fuel poverty. We will also use the money to help encourage renewable energy projects at a local level.

“But just as importantly, the solar farms also ramp up our ongoing efforts to combat climate change, enhance biodiversity and cut carbon emissions.”