The largest UK solar plant to date is up and running. Construction is complete at the 373 MW Cleve Hill Solar Park and commercial operations have begun. The project is now able to export 100% of its capacity to the grid, more than four times the electricity exported by the next largest operational UK project, according to project developer Quinbrook.
Cleve Hill was the first solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project to be granted consent through the UK government’s Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project process in 2020 – its 150 MW/300 MWh co-located BESS remains under construction.
The project has made headlines throughout its development. In 2022, Cleve Hill secured the largest award for a solar project in the fourth allocation round of the UK government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. The project also broke records in fall 2024 when Quinbrook signed the largest UK PPA to date with supermarket retailer Tesco for 65% of the site's capacity, as well as a 10-year route-to-market agreement with Shell Energy Europe Limited, which will see the energy giant trade the remaining 35% capacity contracted through Cleve Hill's CfD.
Financial backing for the project includes a GBP 218.5 million ($299.8 million) term loan and a GBP 20 million VAT facility with Lloyds and NatWest, which Quinbrook said makes it the largest solar and storage project financing undertaken in the United Kingdom to date.
Cleve Hill was initially developed as a joint enterprise between Wirsol and Hive Energy, before Quinbrook acquired the project in 2021. Construction started at the site in early 2023.
In a press release, Keith Gains, managing director and UK regional leader for Quinbrook, described Cleve Hill reaching commercial operations as a “major technical, construction and financial achievement four our teams, our partners and investors.”
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I’ve built a 380 kwph solar system in the wirral to charge cars it powers 12 rapid chargers
We are installing more battery’s to half a megga wat to hold energy on low production days.
I also have a 32kw solar system at my house that generates 24 mwh last year it’s probably the only house in the UK not on 3 phase that’s been in for the past 18 month that’s made 36 meg
Fantastic to see projects like this
I’m now preparing for another project a mere 150 kwh charge station for disabled access vehicles next door but 1
Hardly a thing of beauty
Funny how green installations look so un-green, isn’t it?
What a great waste of agricultural land.
Why can’t they build solar farms over industrial buildings and supermarket carparks ?
Why do we still think installing solar in Greenfield areas is acceptable. There are millions of warehouse style buildings on industrial sites that already have the infrastructure to take the energy produced and no one sees the array of panels. Hospitals, schools and other civil buildings should be covered to reduce their running costs. When will the government start to think cohesively when planning for the future.
It seems absolutely stupid to be cover or land with solar panel when there are tens of thousand large commercial roofs and general population roofs that can house solar panels. I haven’t heard that the government is insisting that all new building builds have to be designed so they have SSE to ssw facing roofs which are maximised to be the home for solar panel then the land can be used to supply food.
I have 3.95 KW of solar panel on my roof which have been generating around 3400 KW of power each year since November 2011.
The site is located one mile northeast of Faversham, three miles west of Whitstable and situated closest to the village of Graveney.
Ripping up the countryside and destrying natural habitats to buld massive solar panel fields is so stupidly backwards. Its like one step forward two backwards.Why not utilise large building rooftops.Bus shelters parking lots where cars park under for shade etc.
What an abomination. We’re losing so much countryside and prime agricultural land to these eyesores that will all need replacing in a few years. Probably all Chinese panels made with slave labour and paid for with UK taxpayer money. This needs to STOP.
Destroying nature to protect nature, madness. What use is it on cold winter nights.
An environmental abomination constructed with panels manufactured using coal-fired energy and shipped halfway round the world by diesel powered shipping.
It’s estimated that these projects will cost each household in the UK £6000 over the next 10 years, and they still have to run a power station to keep the demand at capacity.