company news about UK’s First All-Electric Smart Town to Integrate Solar and Energy Storage

Kent, England – August 2025 — The upcoming Otterpool Park Garden Town in Kent is set to become the UK’s first large-scale all-electric smart community, featuring 8,500 homes equipped with rooftop solar panels, battery energy storage systems, and smart microgrid technology.

Powering a Self-Sustaining Community

Each home will be designed to generate, store, and efficiently manage electricity. The integrated battery systems will enable residents to:

• Store surplus solar energy for night-time use

• Sell excess power back to the grid during peak demand

• Reduce reliance on fossil fuel-based electricity

The development also aims to establish a local solar farm, pending final planning approval, to further enhance its renewable generation capacity.

Virtual Power Plant Model

The town’s infrastructure will operate as a virtual power plant (VPP), intelligently balancing supply and demand within the community while supporting the national grid when required. This approach is expected to:

• Lower energy costs for residents

• Reduce carbon emissions

• Improve energy resilience

Official Statements

Project developers emphasize that Otterpool Park will “set a new benchmark for sustainable living in the UK” by combining decentralized energy generation with cutting-edge digital grid management.

Local council leaders also highlighted the project’s role in contributing to the UK’s net-zero targets and supporting the transition to renewable energy.

Construction of the first phase is expected to begin in 2026, with completion targeted for the early 2030s. Once fully operational, Otterpool Park will stand as a model for future energy-positive urban developments in the UK and beyond.