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Get involved in our consultation
It is important to us that you, as members of the local community, have your voices heard and help shape our plans for Larnog Solar Farm.
How to get involved
© Crown copyright (2022) Cymru Wales
We are running an informal consultation on our plans for the proposed Larnog Solar Farm, on the coast at Lavernock.
Visit the ‘How to get involved’ page to:
- Find out where and when we’re holding in-person consultation events
- View the information boards
- Complete an online feedback form
It is important to us that you, as members of the local community, have your voices heard and help shape our plans for Larnog Solar Farm.
For this round of consultation we would be grateful if you could provide your feedback by 5pm on Friday 23 January 2026.
Overview
Click here to view a full size version of the site location plan
Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru (Trydan), is Wales’ renewable energy developer wholly owned by the Welsh Government. We are investigating the potential for new renewable energy projects, primarily within the Welsh Government Estate.
Trydan is on a mission to unlock the renewable energy potential of Wales. By developing renewable energy projects on Welsh Government land, such as our landholding in Lavernock between Sully and Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan, we aim to maximise the value of this land and our natural resources for the people of Wales. Our ambition is to develop 1 GW of new renewable energy generation capacity by 2040. Larnog Solar Farm is our first solar project and an important step on that journey.
Feasibility work indicates that the proposed Larnog Solar Farm would make an important contribution to tackling energy security and climate change by delivering up to 35 MW of clean electricity, enough to power the equivalent electricity needs of approximately 13,800 average Welsh homes.[1]
The fields we are considering for the Larnog Solar development are currently farmed under a short-term tenancy agreement. A farming tenancy can continue as there will still be a need to manage the land where solar panels are sited. Only some of the site is earmarked for solar, and we will explore opportunities for improving nature and enhancing biodiversity on the other fields in partnership with the tenant farmer.
[1] Mean domestic electricity consumption by country/region. Source: DESNZ Subnational Electricity and Gas Consumption Statistics Regional and Local Authority, Great Britain, 2022. (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b12dfff2718c000dfb1c9b/subnational-electricity-and-gas-consumption-summary-report-2022.pdf)
Mark Roberts, Project Manager for Larnog Solar Farm
"We’re looking forward to speaking to local residents and building strong relationships within the community. Our commitment is to listen carefully, answer questions, and feed what we learn back into the next stage of the design process.
“We’re exploring innovative ways to enhance our sites, so they work harmoniously for both local people and the surrounding habitats."
Why have we chosen this site?
This is a good site for generating solar energy because it is suitably sunny, flat, and does not include any Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land. There are no international or national environmental designations within the site, and it has good access to the road network. Existing trees and hedgerows provide good screening from the coastal path and surrounding area, and there are good opportunities to plant more hedgerows and trees to increase screening elsewhere.
We have a grid connection offer from National Grid to connect Larnog Solar Farm to the nearby Penarth Primary Substation. The Larnog Solar Farm could be generating clean electricity by 2028.
Why do we need solar energy?
Energy security
Wales produces more electricity than we need currently, but two thirds of this electricity is generated by gas-fired power stations. Most of the gas we burn in Wales’ two main gas powerplants is imported. Having our own, reliable energy supply powered by the sun and the wind, will reduce our vulnerability to global fossil fuel markets and global events.
Solar projects are usually quicker to develop, construct and connect to the grid, than other forms of energy generation, making them an important part of the energy mix.
Research by University College London[1] has shown that in recent years, renewable energy in the form of wind power has led to lower electricity prices for consumers. Solar will also contribute to lowering bills.
Solar panel systems have few moving parts, so they are generally low maintenance, requiring only occasional cleaning and checks. It’s a tried and tested technology, known to be reliable and effective.
The UK government's clean power 2030 target for solar energy is to reach a total installed capacity of 45-47 gigawatts (GW), which is a significant increase from the 2025 capacity of 18.1 GW.
Changing demand
By 2035, many more aspects of our lives, including heating our homes and workplaces, running cars, buses and trains, and industrial processes, will be powered by electricity, rather than from burning fossil-fuels, which produce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. It is predicted that Welsh demand for electricity will triple by 2050.
Climate change
Summer 2025 was the warmest summer on record in the UK[2]. Record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, which have devastating effects for the planet. The Met Office states one of the main causes of the changing weather is human-induced climate change caused by greenhouse gases, such as CO2, which is released into the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuel. Reducing CO2 emissions is essential for reducing the severity of climate change.
Welsh Government targets
The Welsh Government aims to meet 100% of Welsh electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2035. Larnog Solar Farm would directly contribute to these targets.
[1] UCL Press. 2025. Modelling the long-term financial benefits of UK investment in wind energy generation. Accessed 21/11/25 https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/ucloe/plugins/isolinear/article/3584/version/1/
[2] Met Office. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/weather-and-climate-news/2025/summer-2025-is-the-warmest-on-record-for-the-uk
Indicative timeline
Getting to know the site and its physical characteristics.
Talking to people who can help us understand the local context.
Sharing early-stage information about the project and initial discussions about the project with local people.
We are actively engaging with the Vale of Glamorgan Council and other stakeholders to agree which environmental and technical surveys are required to support the design work and planning application.
There is still some way to go before our design is complete, and local feedback is important to help us to refine the evolving design.
We will hold a formal consultation and publish our draft planning application for people to read and comment on
All the feedback we receive will inform the plans that are submitted for planning consent.
Alongside the planning application, we will submit a consultation report, describing the dialogue we have undertaken to hear community and stakeholder views, and how we have incorporated them into our design.
The Vale of Glamorgan Planning Department will review and consult on the planning application.
A Planning Committee meeting will be held where elected members will consider a report on the planning application prepared by the council’s Planning Department.
The Planning Committee votes on whether to grant planning permission.
If planning permission is granted, Trydan will need to discharge any conditions imposed upon the planning permission by the Vale of Glamorgan Council before construction works start.
Once constructed and operational, the project will generate clean, renewable energy.
This indicative timeline is intended to provide an overview of the careful process Trydan will follow, with the aim of shaping the best possible project. By this we mean, a project of the best design, in the right place, to deliver long-lasting benefits for the local area and for Wales.