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SOLAR Β· OPERATIONAL

The Hydes

The Hydes is a 10.7 MW solar farm in East of England, 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
  • East of England
  • England
Project stageOperating
  1. PlanningAug 2013 (completed)
  2. ConsentedNov 2013 (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
10.7 MW
Status
Operational
Technology
Solar Β· PV
Operator
Octopus Investments
Region
East of England
Country
England
Grid connection (DUKES)
LV
Combined heat & power
No
Postcode
CM7 4TX
Coordinates
51.9493, 0.3880

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 The Hydes compares

131st of 662largest solar farms in the UK register
28th of 76in East of England
0.19%of listed UK solar farms capacity
β‰ˆ 9.4 GWhillustrative output a year

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 3,480 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 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
Hyde Farm
Developer / operator
Lightsource Renewable Energy / Push Energy
Planning authority
Uttlesford
Planning reference
UTT/13/2207/FUL
Application submitted
27 August 2013
Permission granted
22 November 2013
Began operating
13 November 2014
Capacity in planning record
10.8 MW
Address
Hydes Solar Farm Little Bardfield Braintree Essex, Essex
REPD reference
1322

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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