Hive Energy, Wirsol confirm plans for ‘pioneering’ 350MW solar farm in the UK

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Hive Energy has confirmed it is the developer behind ambitious plans for a huge solar farm on the north Kent coast, UK, which could have a final generation capacity in excess of 350MW.

Hive has partnered with EPC firm Wirsol, and the duo has formed the SPV Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd to advance the project.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Should the project complete, Cleve Hill will be almost five times the size of the UK’s current largest solar farm; the 70MW DTTC Lyneham array completed in 2015.

It will be located between the Kent towns of Faversham and Whitstable in the south of the country.

The project, dubbed Cleve Hill Solar Park, will also be designed differently to standard solar farms in the UK to provide the maximum amount of electricity. Panels are to be orientated in an east-to-west fashion, rather than south-facing, and will also be mounted at a shallower angle than usual to produce a more consistent generation curve.

Battery storage will also be incorporated into the design to provide grid balancing services to the grid.

As with any new utility-scale solar farm in the UK, the project is go ahead without any subsidy support from the government.

But due to its significant size, Cleve Hill stands to be the first in the UK to be deemed as a National Significant Infrastructure Project. It will therefore require approval from Greg Clarke, secretary of state at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, by means of a development consent order (DCO).

Hive stressed that plans were at an early stage with the first tranche of community consultations set to take place later this month. Further consultations will take place in December, with a secondary phase to follow in early 2018.

Hive expects to submit final plans for its DCO next summer.

Hive’s Hugh Brennan said: “The Cleve Hill Solar Park is a pioneering scheme that aims to optimise the technological developments in solar energy. Our ambition is to deliver the first non-subsidised renewables project of this scale, delivering low cost, clean, home-grown energy to power UK households.”

The developer has turned to Pinsent Masons for its planning advice and employed environmental specialist Arcus to conduct a full environmental impact assessment on the site. Electrical consultant Xero Energy will be tasked with providing grid connection, battery storage and electrical engineering support. 

25 November 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Large Scale Solar Central and Eastern Europe continues to be the place to leverage a network that has been made over more than 10 years, to build critical partnerships to develop solar projects throughout the region.

Read Next

July 1, 2025
The UK government has released this week (30 June) its Solar Roadmap, which sets out practical measures to meet the country’s solar PV targets.
July 1, 2025
French private equity firm Ardian Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF) has bought 117 solar PV plants, worth 116MW of total capacity in several locations in Italy.
July 1, 2025
A five-year research initiative is underway in Australia to test the viability of floating solar systems on irrigation dams.
June 30, 2025
Voting on the US tax reconciliation bill is expected to begin in the Senate today, following a draft published on Friday that hit clean energy tax credits hard.
June 30, 2025
Australian module manufacturer Tindo Solar has secured a 30MW solar module supply agreement to power Australia's first "net zero pipeline”.
June 27, 2025
The UK government has decided it will not sign a Contract for Difference (CfD) with Xlinks for the 11.5GW Morroco-UK interconnector project.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
July 2, 2025
Bangkok, Thailand
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece