Between January 2021 and July 2022 planning permission was refused for 23 solar farms across England, Wales and Scotland, which could generate enough renewable energy to power around 147,000 homes a year, according to the analysis of government data by planning and development consultancy Turley; Refusals have increased significantly since the start of 2021 – the survey found that only four projects were denied planning permission in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 combined. Of the 27 solar farms downgraded between 2019 and 2022, 19 are in conservative constituencies. Four were in Labor constituencies, three in Scottish National Party constituencies and one in a Lib Dem constituency. There are fears such denials could increase further as Tory leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have made disparaging comments about solar farms. The south west and east of England had the highest number of refusals over the past 18 months, with four projects rejected in each region. Wales, the West Midlands and Scotland had three refusals each, while the East Midlands, North East and South East of England had two planning applications refused. Analysts at the Green Alliance thinktank said the rejected projects were large solar farms averaging around 30MW each, which may account for the planning refusals, as smaller farms are easier to approve. However, he added that this should not be a reason to refuse planning permission, as larger solar farms could reduce bills further. It said the scrapped solar farms could have cut around £100m off Britain’s electricity bills this year. Dustin Benton, director of policy at the Green Alliance, said: “We should be building as much cheap, clean energy as we can to reduce people’s energy bills and reduce our dependence on Russian gas. This additional solar power generation, if displacing gas, would have saved over £100 million a year in wholesale energy costs.” “By integrating solar panels into fields, even farmers on high-quality land can continue to grow crops at the same time as enjoying the steady income from solar panels.” Chart If Truss goes ahead with her plans to crack down on solar farms, she would be at odds with the government’s energy security strategy published in the spring. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The strategy sets out ambitions to produce 70 GW of energy from solar technology by 2035. It also promises to consult on changing planning rules to strengthen policy in favor of development on unprotected land, as well as support for co-located solar other activities such as agriculture and installed energy infrastructure. Emma Kelly, deputy director at Turley, said: “Solar should be a key contributor to the energy market, especially as we look to diversify our renewable energy products to ensure supply is maintained. “The significant increase in the refusal of planning permission for solar parks is in stark contrast to the proposals set out in the Government’s UK Energy Security Strategy. Solar energy currently contributes 14 GW of energy, so we have a long way to go before reaching the 70 GW target. If Liz Truss goes ahead with her plan, Britain’s energy security strategy will have to be rewritten. “Biodiversity is certainly a factor to consider with solar farms, while the continued rise in energy costs has shown how important renewable energy production is to the UK’s future. A growing trend of refusing planning permission for renewable energy projects designed to support energy security is a huge step backwards on our road to net zero.”
