Solar farms are helping British farms, pushed to the brink by geopolitical crises, inflation and extreme weather, to keep producing food according to a report from Solar Energy UK.
Last year, it carried out a survey of farmers, landowners and tenant farmers, uncovering that 31% reported production to be below average or very low last year because of adverse weather, with 44% facing below average or very low incomes. Nearly four in 10 (37%) said additional revenue from solar energy would help them secure their farm for future generations.
Furthermore, with 60% currently having no renewable energy, Solar Energy UK said this indicates a “significant opportunity for growth”. However, an inability to connect to the grid and planning constraints are both barriers.
Chris Hewett, Solar Energy UK Chief Executive, said that they believe often when it comes to the national debate on farm renewables, farmers’ perspectives have been “largely missing”.
Hewett continued: “The report finds that, for many who have been able to diversify, solar is helping to keep their farms viable. They have more reliable revenue streams keeping their farms profitable whilst securing domestic food supplies. Suffice to say, energy security and food security are not conflicting missions. To echo the energy secretary, Ed Miliband’s recent pledge, we must ‘proceed not on the basis of myth and false information, but on evidence,’ when it comes to solar.”
