Solar PV developer, ODPE has revealed that it has over 56MW of UK solar farms following the approval of its 18MW solar farm in Iwade, Kent.

The developer said that the newly-approved solar farm will generate enough electricity to power 5,400 local homes. Construction is expected to begin in November 2014. The news comes on the back of ODPE winning approval for a 10.8MW solar farm in Crewkerne in September.

The developer now has a portfolio of five UK solar farms in the UK that have either been connected or are due to start construction in 2014. As a result, ODPE says that it is on track to meet its objective of connecting 100MW of solar capacity to the grid before renewable obligation support for solar farms over 5MW is scrapped in April 2015.

The government has recently announced that payments under the CAP for land underneath solar farms will cease in the New Year for solar farmers. Defra said that the measure “will help rural communities who do not want their countryside blighted by solar farms”.