Mooted solar ban could fuel household bills

A bid by an influential MP to further tighten planning rules could prevent solar farms being deployed on a third of agricultural land in England, potentially saddling consumers with higher electricity bills, new analysis claims.

Alicia Kearns, Conservative MP for Rutland and chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee, has tabled an amendment to the Energy Bill, which would prevent ground mounted solar panels on so called Best and Most Versatile (BMV) farmland.

The amendment is due to be considered when the bill returns to the House of Commons this week.

Under existing planning rules, there is a presumption against solar farms on all higher quality land graded as BMV under the Agricultural Land Classification system.

However Kearns’ amendment to the Energy Bill would turn this presumption into an outright ban.

Analysis carried out by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) shows this move to further restrict solar development on BMV farmland would prevent development on nearly 4.75m ha -more than a third of all agricultural land in England.

The ECIU estimates that in order to meet the government’s target of 70GW solar power could require up to 38GW generation from ground mounted solar unless roll out rates of rooftop devices improve.

If planning curbs make it more difficult to develop ground mounted solar, using more expensive gas-fired generation instead could increase energy bills by as much as £5 billion per year, the ECIU estimates.

Tom Lancaster, land analyst at ECIU, said, “There has never been a cheaper form of energy than solar, and putting even more barriers in place to its roll out will cost the public dear, whilst locking in dependence on imported gas. This makes little sense when new solar farms will only need a tiny fraction of the available farmland, presenting no real risk to food security whilst providing a major boost to Britain’s energy security.

“Solar farms can also lead to real benefits for nature, with wildflowers planted amongst the panels and thick hedges creating new habitats for birds, whilst screening the visual impacts of the development. 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.”