Lightsource Renewable Energy claims one third of 2013 UK solar capacity

April 16, 2013
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

UK solar energy developer Lightsource Renewable Energy has completed and commissioned over 133MWp of solar PV projects in the first quarter of 2013.

The company claims to have connected a total of 34 projects to the grid, attracting investment of over £180 million (US$276 million).

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Based on data published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, this represents over one third of the 350MWp of commissioned solar capacity which came on stream in the first quarter in the UK.

Nick Boyle, CEO of Lightsource, said: “It is my firm belief that the UK has one of the most robust solar markets in the world. These results show we are well on track to achieving the government’s target of 22GW installed solar PV by 2020.”

Lightsource said that it had developed and commissioned utility scale solar totalling 250MWp in the UK since 2011, investing £500 million in the process. Lightsource said it had a robust pipeline of projects, and expects to continue this strong start to the year.

Most recently, in conjunction with Portuguese PV developer Martifer Solar, Lightsource completed five solar parks totalling 28.1MW in the UK. The four solar parks were constructed in Cornwall, Hampshire, Devon and Wiltshire and range from 4.4MW to 6.63MW in scale. Martifer estimated that the parks will generate around 27.74GWh of clean energy every year.

Lightsource works in partnership with Octopus Investments, one of the UK’s largest investors in commercial solar.

Matt Setchell, who heads up the solar team at Octopus, said: “The solar and broader renewables market in the UK is growing rapidly and there continues to be a great opportunity to deliver attractive and stable returns to our investors.”

-Nick Boyle will be speaking at the Large Scale Solar UK Conference on 24-25 April organised by PV-Tech's publisher Solar Media. 'Building a sustainable large-scale solar industry in the UK after April 2013', to be held in Truro, Cornwall, will explore the renaissance of the large-scale solar industry in the UK and the commercial and investment opportunities it offers. Further information is available here.

Read Next

Premium
October 17, 2025
According to Ronak Maheshwari of CRC-IB, there has been a struggle for US renewable power projects to secure necessary equity .
October 17, 2025
Norwegian renewable energy firm Scatec has signed lease agreements for 64MW of solar PV and 10MWh of energy storage capacity in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
October 17, 2025
A group of over 20 US states are suing the Trump administration for the cancellation of the US$7 billion Solar For All Scheme.
October 16, 2025
Masdar and Turkey have entered the final stage of US$1 billion agreement to develop the 1.1GW plant in Bor, Niğde Province, central Turkey.
October 16, 2025
T1 Energy and Nextracker have agreed to use the latter’s steel module frames at the former’s new 5GW module manufacturing facility in Dallas.
October 16, 2025
US utility-scale solar additions grew by 56% in 2024, reaching 30GW from 2023’s 19GW and representing over 54% of all new electricity generation capacity added in the country last year.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK