Exagen Wins Planning Approval for 15-MW Solar in Devon

• Exagen Group wins planning permission for a 15MW solar farm at Buttercombe, North Devon—boosting UK renewable power and supporting up to 6,200 homes with clean energy.

Exagen Group, a UK renewables and energy storage developer owned by Octopus Energy Generation, has been granted planning permission for a 15-megawatt solar photovoltaic farm at Buttercombe in North Devon, England. The approval follows an earlier planning-officer recommendation and is linked to Exagen’s Buttercombe Solar Farm application submitted a year ago.

The 108-acre site will connect to an existing 33-kilovolt overhead power line and is expected to generate an average annual output equivalent to the electricity use of about 6,200 British homes. Buttercombe is Exagen’s fourth project to secure planning permission this year, after approvals earlier for solar-plus-storage developments including Old Wood Energy Park in Nottinghamshire.

What does Exagen’s 15MW Buttercombe solar approval mean for Devon energy output?

• Adds a new 15MW utility-scale solar PV plant to North Devon’s generation portfolio, increasing the amount of renewable electricity produced within the county.
  
• By linking into an existing 33kV overhead network, it helps channel locally generated power into the wider regional grid rather than requiring new long-distance generation capacity.
  
• The project is expected to deliver an average annual output equivalent to the electricity use of around 6,200 UK homes—meaning a meaningful uplift to Devon’s year-round renewable supply.
• Improves Devon’s energy resilience by contributing predictable, non-fuel generation that complements other local renewables and can reduce reliance on fossil generation during daylight hours.
  
• Supports the county’s decarbonisation goals by displacing grid electricity that would otherwise come from higher-emissions sources.
  
• Strengthens the pipeline of approved solar-plus-storage style development in the broader UK market (with Exagen already securing multiple approvals this year), which can accelerate additional projects in Devon and surrounding regions.
  
• Can help relieve demand pressure on the grid during sunny periods by supplying electricity closer to where it is consumed, potentially improving local balancing (though actual impact depends on dispatch and grid conditions).
• Contributes to meeting national clean-energy deployment targets, which ultimately influences how much renewable generation is available to serve Devon’s electricity needs.