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SOLAR Β· OPERATIONAL

Manston Thorne

Manston Thorne is a 6.2 MW solar farm in South East England, operated by Octopus Investments. The UK government lists it as operational in its register of power stations (DUKES table 5.11, May 2025).

  • PV
  • South East
  • England
Project stageOperating
  1. PlanningJul 2013 (completed)
  2. ConsentedJan 2014 (completed)
  3. Construction (completed)
  4. OperatingNov 2014 (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
6.2 MW
Status
Operational
Technology
Solar Β· PV
Operator
Octopus Investments
Region
South East
Country
England
Grid connection (DUKES)
LV
Combined heat & power
No
Postcode
CT12 5DS
Coordinates
51.3355, 1.3492

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 Manston Thorne compares

217th of 662largest solar farms in the UK register
43rd of 105in South East
0.11%of listed UK solar farms capacity
β‰ˆ 5.4 GWhillustrative output a year

At a typical UK load factor for this technology (about 10% of the maximum possible output), a 6.2 MW station would generate roughly 5.4 GWh of electricity in a year, similar to the annual use of about 2,010 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 East All run by Octopus Investments

Nearby generating sites

Also operated by Octopus Investments

Octopus Investments operates 134 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
Thorne Farm
Developer / operator
Lightsource Renewable Energy
Planning authority
Thanet
Planning reference
F/TH/13/0596
Application submitted
31 July 2013
Permission granted
15 January 2014
Began operating
5 November 2014
Capacity in planning record
6.2 MW
Address
N/O Thorne Farm, Thorne Hill, Minster, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 5DS, Kent, CT12 5DS
REPD reference
2073

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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