Tatton teaser: Is solar power a ‘threat’ to UK farmland?
Posted 28 September 2022
In the recent leadership contest, one point of common ground between the candidates was a determination to avoid using fields for solar panels, rather than agriculture. An excellent article from Carbon Brief (https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-is-solar-power-a-threat-to-uk-farmland/) has some good analysis and visuals comparing the current usage as well as the planned 5 fold increase in solar capacity by 2035.
Aside from the fact that land can be used for both farming and solar generation, it would seem that the impact a dramatic rollout of solar panels would have on the countryside is pretty small, even if it makes good headlines.
Thank you James Saunders for this note.