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SOLAR Β· OPERATIONAL

Great Knowles

Great Knowles is a 2.92 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
Project stageOperating
  1. PlanningApr 2011 (completed)
  2. ConsentedJun 2011 (completed)
  3. ConstructionApr 2012 (completed)
  4. OperatingJul 2012 (current stage)
  5. Closed (not yet reached)

Planning dates from the Renewable Energy Planning Database; operating status from DUKES table 5.11.

Key facts

Installed capacity
2.92 MW
Status
Operational
Technology
Solar Β· PV
Operator
Lightsource BP
Region
South West
Country
England
Grid connection (DUKES)
LV
Combined heat & power
No
Postcode
EX22 6JY
Coordinates
50.8042, -4.3769

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 Great Knowles compares

582nd of 662largest solar farms in the UK register
155th of 192in South West
0.05%of listed UK solar farms capacity
β‰ˆ 2.6 GWhillustrative output a year

At a typical UK load factor for this technology (about 10% of the maximum possible output), a 2.92 MW station would generate roughly 2.6 GWh of electricity in a year, similar to the annual use of about 950 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 BP

Nearby generating sites

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
Great Knowle Farm Solar
Developer / operator
The Green Company
Planning authority
Torridge
Planning reference
1/0218/2011/FULM
Application submitted
4 April 2011
Permission granted
23 June 2011
Construction started
10 April 2012
Began operating
27 July 2012
Capacity in planning record
3 MW
Address
Great Knowle Farm, Derriton Road, Pyworthy, Holsworthy, Devon, Devon, EX22 6JY
REPD reference
1549

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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