Placing further restrictions on ground mounted solar farms could leave billpayers faced with costs of £5bn per year, the government has been warned.
Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) found that of the government’s 70GW solar energy target, between 24GW and 39GW will likely come from ground mounter solar. However, going by amendments for the report stage of the Energy Bill, restrictions are being proposed on solar farm developments with the higher costs expected to arise from the assumption the electricity those projects would produce would come from gas instead.
When comparing gas and solar, individual households could find themselves saving £100 to £180 a year through the latter. Between 2024 and 2050 this would amount to savings of between £2,500 to almost £4,500 per household, though this is of course dependent on future power prices.
Despite apparent political position, the ECIU pointed to recent polling from YouGov which found 80% of people view solar energy favourable, with the same percentage backing solar developments in their area. Similarly, 78% of MPs were also favourable, but almost a third (30%) felt their constituents would oppose solar instead of supporting it. This suggests MPs underestimate the level of support solar actually has.
Furthermore, not all that much farmland would actually have to be used to deliver the levels of solar needed. It found that between 40,000 and 70,000 hectares (ha) of land would be required, which accounts for between 0.5% and 0.7% of English farmland. The potential moves to restrict solar development on grades 1 to 3a farmland would render almost 4.75mn hectares off limits. Some have also suggested adding grade 3b land to the mix, which would mean a further 3.75mn hectares is unavailable for development.
ECIU Land Analyst, Tom Lancaster, mapped out the “real benefits” solar farms can offer for nature, such as wildflowers being planted amongst the panels and thick hedges that create new habitats for birds. This also helps to screen visual impacts of the development.
Lancaster continued: “And food production can also continue in many cases, with sheep and other livestock able to graze underneath and between solar panels, allowing farmers to double up on sources of income. With farmers seeking to diversify revenue streams in face of volatile prices and increasingly extreme weather, red tape to halt solar farms would be anti-growth for the rural economy.”
