Benbole
Benbole is a 1.74 MW solar farm in South West England, operated by Lightsource BP. The UK government lists it as operational in its register of power stations (DUKES table 5.11, May 2025).
- PV
- South West
- England
Key facts
- Installed capacity
- 1.74 MW
- Status
- Operational
- Technology
- Solar Β· PV
- Operator
- Lightsource BP
- Region
- South West
- Country
- England
- Grid connection (DUKES)
- LV
- Combined heat & power
- No
- Postcode
- PL30 3EF
- Coordinates
- 50.5401, -4.7826
Location
Map position from the published coordinates. For small sites this can be an approximate point rather than the exact boundary. Map Β© OpenStreetMap contributors.
How Benbole compares
At a typical UK load factor for this technology (about 10% of the maximum possible output), a 1.74 MW station would generate roughly 1.5 GWh of electricity in a year, similar to the annual use of about 560 homes at 2,700 kWh each. This is an illustrative estimate, not the station's metered output: real generation varies with weather, availability and grid constraints.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) sites generate electricity from sunlight. Panels produce direct current, which inverters convert to alternating current for the grid. Output follows daylight and the seasons, so annual generation is a small fraction of the maximum possible.
All UK solar farms Solar farms in South West All run by Lightsource BPNearby generating sites
- Kelly Green Β· 4.98 MW solar farm1.8 km
- Bodmin Β· 4.98 MW solar farm7.2 km
- St Breock Β· 10 MW onshore wind farm7.9 km
- Penhale Β· 3.53 MW solar farm9.0 km
- Margate Β· 3.37 MW solar farm10.1 km
- Clann Farm Β· 1.49 MW solar farm10.9 km
- Winnards Β· 4.45 MW solar farm13.0 km
- Bodwen Β· 5 MW solar farm14.3 km
Also operated by Lightsource BP
Lightsource BP operates 129 sites in the register. Largest first:
Planning history
From the government's Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), matched to this site by location, capacity and name.
- Planning status
- Operational
- Site name in planning record
- Benbole Farm
- Developer / operator
- Private Developer
- Planning authority
- Cornwall
- Planning reference
- PA10/04656
- Application submitted
- 4 August 2010
- Permission granted
- 20 December 2010
- Began operating
- 28 July 2011
- Capacity in planning record
- 2 MW
- Address
- St Kew Highway, Bodmin, Cornwall, PL30 3EF
- REPD reference
- 1035
Source
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), table 5.11: power stations in the United Kingdom β operational at end of May 2025.
Capacity is installed capacity as published, not current output. Status reflects the source date, not live operation.
View the original source
Last checked by Octary: 15 July 2026
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