Bluegates
Bluegates is a 10.7 MW solar farm in East of England, England, operated by Greencoat Capital. The UK government lists it as operational in its register of power stations (DUKES table 5.11, May 2025).
- PV
- East of England
- England
Key facts
- Installed capacity
- 10.7 MW
- Status
- Operational
- Technology
- Solar Β· PV
- Operator
- Greencoat Capital
- Region
- East of England
- Country
- England
- Grid connection (DUKES)
- LV
- Combined heat & power
- No
- Postcode
- CO7 8DE
- Coordinates
- 51.8607, 1.0050
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 Bluegates compares
At a typical UK load factor for this technology (about 10% of the maximum possible output), a 10.7 MW station would generate roughly 9.4 GWh of electricity in a year, similar to the annual use of about 3,470 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 East of England All run by Greencoat CapitalNearby generating sites
- Chisbon Β· 12.3 MW solar farm7.1 km
- Earls Hall Farm Β· 10.3 MW onshore wind farm9.3 km
- Wix Lodge (Stour Fields) Β· 18.7 MW solar farm10.0 km
- Barn Farm Β· 4.69 MW solar farm12.5 km
- Birch Estate Β· 5 MW solar farm13.9 km
- Bradwell Nuclear Power Station Β· 246 MW nuclear power station15.4 km
- Gunfleet Sands 01 Β· 173 MW offshore wind farm20.6 km
- Bradwell Β· 20.5 MW onshore wind farm21.0 km
Also operated by Greencoat Capital
Greencoat Capital operates 195 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
- Bluegates Solar Park
- Developer / operator
- Edgar Middleton
- Planning authority
- Colchester
- Planning reference
- 14/00352/FUL
- Application submitted
- 4 April 2014
- Permission granted
- 4 July 2014
- Construction started
- 1 October 2014
- Began operating
- 30 January 2015
- Capacity in planning record
- 10.5 MW
- Address
- Blue Gates Farm Colchester Main Road Alresford, Essex, CO7 8DE
- REPD reference
- 5125
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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