Pen Rhiw
Pen Rhiw is a 4.75 MW solar farm in Wales, operated by Lightsource BP. The UK government lists it as operational in its register of power stations (DUKES table 5.11, May 2025).
- PV
- Wales
Key facts
- Installed capacity
- 4.75 MW
- Status
- Operational
- Technology
- Solar Β· PV
- Operator
- Lightsource BP
- Region
- Wales
- Country
- Wales
- Grid connection (DUKES)
- LV
- Combined heat & power
- No
- Postcode
- CF45 3UX
- Coordinates
- 51.6725, -3.3810
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 Pen Rhiw compares
At a typical UK load factor for this technology (about 10% of the maximum possible output), a 4.75 MW station would generate roughly 4.2 GWh of electricity in a year, similar to the annual use of about 1,540 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 Wales All run by Lightsource BPNearby generating sites
- Ferndale Wind Farm Β· 6.4 MW onshore wind farm5.4 km
- Hendai Β· 13.4 MW solar farm7.8 km
- Maerdy Β· 24 MW onshore wind farm9.4 km
- Berthllwyd Β· 4.96 MW solar farm10.5 km
- Pant y Wal Β· 52.5 MW onshore wind farm10.8 km
- Mynydd Bwllfa Β· 22.5 MW onshore wind farm11.2 km
- Pen Y Cymoedd Β· 228 MW onshore wind farm11.8 km
- Pen Bryn Oer Wind Farm Β· 6 MW onshore wind farm13.5 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
- Pen Rhiw Caradog
- Developer / operator
- Lightsource Renewable Energy
- Planning authority
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Planning reference
- 13/0901/10
- Application submitted
- 3 September 2013
- Permission granted
- 11 July 2016
- Construction started
- 7 November 2016
- Began operating
- 24 February 2017
- Capacity in planning record
- 4.7 MW
- Address
- FARMHOUSE, PENRHIW CRADOC FARM, LLANWONNO ROAD, MOUNTAIN ASH, CF45 3UX, Mid Glamorgan
- REPD reference
- 2327
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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