A former coal mine is set to become a symbol of the clean energy transition, as the UK’s first community-owned solar park built using recycled panels launches a bond offer to investors.
The Whiteborough Solar Park in Nottinghamshire, developed by the Big Solar Co-op, opens a new investment opportunity today on the Ethex platform.
The offer gives individuals the chance to back a 3.5 MW solar farm built on a disused opencast coalfield. It has a minimum investment of £100 and a target return of 5.5 per cent per year. The bonds are eligible to be held in a tax-efficient Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA).
Around 35 per cent of the solar panels to be used in the project are being salvaged from a decommissioned UK solar farm, with the rest ethically sourced to avoid human rights abuses in the supply chain. In total, the site is expected to generate 3,000 MWh of electricity per year, which is enough to power hundreds of homes and save around 621 tonnes of CO₂e annually (the equivalent of taking 140 petrol cars off the road for a year).
Set to complete in late 2025, the initiative could become the UK’s first large-scale solar installation built primarily with second-life panels.
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A solar future rooted in the past
Whiteborough’s history is deeply entwined with fossil fuels. Once a contributor to the UK’s coal-fired power during the Industrial Revolution, it is now being repurposed as a site for clean energy generation. The project that aims to balance low-carbon innovation with biodiversity and local empowerment.
The solar park’s design has been tailored to fit the local landscape, avoiding productive farmland and incorporating features to support nature. These include native hedgerow planting, wildflower-rich grassland and wildlife habitats.
Jon Halle, CEO of the Big Solar Co-op, said: “We got tired of waiting for someone else to unlock the huge potential of the UK’s rooftops and underused spaces for solar. So, we took action. Now, we’re inviting people across the country to join us, not just as investors, but as active changemakers in the
transition to clean energy using an open-cast mine.”
Democratising clean energy
The Big Solar Co-op is a growing, member-owned organisation with more than 1,100 supporters and 11 rooftop solar projects already installed. It plans to roll out more than 40 new solar installations, including panels on 26 Midcounties Co-operative stores, and aims to deliver 100MW of new capacity nationwide.
Lisa Ashford, CEO of Ethex, said the offer is about more than just returns. She added: “It’s a chance to be part of something bigger: a grassroots movement putting clean energy in the hands of communities. It is heartening to see a project that is taking advantage of making good use of very low grade disused land and has biodiversity as a goal in its build. At the same time, every pound invested supports the growing UK community-led energy movement while potentially earning an attractive return.”
In the future, the Whiteborough site could even sell its electricity directly to local households, reducing energy bills and increasing regional energy resilience.
Risk warning: As always with investing, your capital is at risk and you are encouraged to read the full Bond Offer Document and seek independent financial advice.
For more information or to invest, visit Ethex.
