A new VLF (Very low Frequency) receiver has been developed by the Peruvian Space Agency (CONIDA) for space weather studies. The receiver has been designed based on a Red Pitaya board which performs an SDR (Software Defined Radio) to digitize, process and store the signal. The receiver is composed of a vertical antenna, a preamplifier to filter and amplify the incoming VLF signals from several transmitters located around the world. The receiver is able to cover a bandwidth from 1 up to 50 kHz and it has been developed in such a way as to be cost-effective, autonomous and solar-powered, making it suitable for installation in multiple locations with different geographic conditions. We show the performance of the receiver, the typical daily pattern of the lower ionosphere for the NAA VLF signal, as observed in Peru, and the first solar flares observed. The VLF amplitude curves recorded are validated by comparing them with data from SAVNET (The South American VLF Network) receiver installed in Peru. In a first effort to investigate the impact of solar flares on the lower ionosphere, we conducted a statistical analysis between VLF amplitude perturbations and 1–8 Å solar X-rays flux provided by GOES satellites, resulting in a linear relationship. •Software Defined Radio implemented on FPGA.•A cost-effective, autonomous and solar-powered VLF receiver has been designed.•Ionospheric disturbances related to solar flares are detected as VLF amplitude enhancement.•A significant correlation between VLF amplitude enhancement and C- and M-class solar flares was found.