Global Energy Monitor - here

Check schemes in the UK in the Renewable Engergy Planning Database from DESNZ here.

Check the location of renewable energy schemes in the UK here

More background here

Useful resources

Summary documents & sites

  • Community Planning Alliance webinar on NPPF 2024 changes - Sept 2024 - here

  • Submissions to Planning Inquiry Re Application for a Solar Farm and Battery Storage on Land West of Honiley Road (WDC APPLICATION NO W22/1577) | Jeremy Wright MP - Feb 2024 - here

  • The Problems with Solar Farms - An excellent document produced with CPRE Essex and other groups outlining the problems with solar farms here

  • National Grid Capacity Map - here. This tells us a lot about why particular areas are being targeted. Also useful to challenge developers' claims that connections to the grid are capped in a particular area and also where there is an argument that a particular local authority is under delivering on its share of renewable energy. Some areas are inevitably going to under-deliver because the connections just aren't available. 

  • European Commission - PHOTOVOLTAIC GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM - This tool, provided by the EU, may be useful.  It takes into account temperature, average cloud cover etc. Pick a location on the map, choose your PV system properties on the right (best to tick 'optimize slope and azimuth) and click 'visualise results’.  The efficiency of solar diminishes the further north you get. Solar panels in Spain are 1.5 x more efficient than they are in England. If the government had any sense, northern latitudes wouldn't use solar energy at all. here

  • A Grid Guide to Accelerating UK Connections - National Grid admitting that they have nearly 400GW of projects in the connection pipeline across our UK networks, which is over 5x the amount needed to meet the UK Government’s 2035 decarbonised electricity system commitment here.

  • Planning Resources - A great source of planning information, maps etc here

  • Planning Inspectors past performance on Planning Appeal Decisions - Very useful guide to Planning Inspector decisions. Note: Many of the decisions which can be found on this appeal finder are not related to solar PV or BESS proposals. Indeed, if they are, often they relate to individual applications for solar panels on rooftops! Usually however they are about other forms of building construction or land use. And of course, they are only dealing with LPA decisions, not NSIPs. here

  • Have I Got Planning News for You - here

Statements from Charities & formal bodies

  • CPRE Essex solar farm policy statement here

  • NFU statement on UK Food Security here

Government publications

  • House of Commons article on Food Security here

  • Renewable Energy Planning Database: quarterly extract here

  • The 10 Point plan for a Green industrial revolution here

  • Eric Pickles Written Ministerial Statement here

  • Greg Barker’s Speech to the Large Scale Solar Conference here

  • Recent Parliamentary Debate covering issues with large solar farms here

  • Welsh Government paper on impact of solar farms on farmland here

Notable letters to authorities

  • Letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from Proff. Michael Alder here.

  • Letter to Roberr Courts MP from UKSA member Peter Saugman - here.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

  • A solar developer is required to increase BNG to a site as a result of their development. Here is a paper from Professor Mike Alder outlining some major issues with this.

Land use

  • A statement regarding land use from the Community Planning Alliance here.

  • Why Won’t the UK State Take Food – Not Just Farming – Seriously? - Groundswell 2023 - here.



Petitions

  • Introduce new restrictions on solar facilities to protect land and food security: Prohibit 'mega solar facilities' over 50MW on UK farmland; establish solar development preference hierarchies and regional density caps to help protect our natural landscapes, ensure food security, and conserve biodiversity. Here


Battery safety documents

  • A detailed paper on the battery storage safety issues by Dr Edmund Fordham MA PhD CPhys CEng FInstP et al here

  • The National Fire Chiefs Council Guidance for large scale BESS units for Fire & Rescue Services can be found here

  • BESS Failure Event Database - This is a public resource for documenting publicly-available data on battery energy storage failure events from around the world. All information included is available in the linked public documents - here

Blogs

  • Blog by campaigner Rosie Pearson on the Solar mega-farm problem here

Press articles

UKSA YouTube Channel

Videos

  • 400 Acres of Staffordshire Green Fields Threatened by Massive Solar Farm: Is This the Future? A proposed solar farm project in Werrington, Staffordshire, threatens to transform nearly 400 acres of green fields into an industrial site. Stretching from Wetley Rocks to Werrington, this development will drastically alter the rural landscape, turning valuable farmland and greenbelt areas into a sprawling installation with over 650, 40 foot, battery storage units. Residents and environmental advocates are raising concerns over fire risks, noise pollution, and the loss of natural habitats.

  • Invasion of the Solar Panels - 27,000 acres of farm land to solar panels! - Vobes talks to Jerry and Simon, residents in Lincolnshire, England, that are to be surrounded by 27000 acres of industrial solar panels soon to be built on prime farm land. This is happening everywhere!
    Paul Christiansen on Battery Fires - Through his research under the Faraday Institutionfunded ReLiB andSafebatt projects, Prof Christiansen has sought to inform first responders of the risks and hazards of lithium-ion batteries and hence (hopefully) to avoid injuries when dealing with LiB fires and explosions involving (principally) electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems. He has given more than 100 presentations to first responders across the world as well as help and advice on an ad hoc basis. He is the Senior Advisor to the National Fire Chiefs Council and serves on a number of UK Government and British Standards Institute working and governance groups. He is the recipient of 2022 Motorola Foundations Knowledge Event Series award from the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council for a lecture tour of Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. PAC has over 180 publications in international journals and an H-Index of 53

  • Unfair Far - From heart of the Hendra Valley in Cornwall, undulating hills unfurl in a tapestry of emerald, their verdant swells punctuated by the dark, lush density of woodlands, ancient as time itself. Here, the land whispers tales of yore, untouched but for the skeletal pylons that stretch towards the sky. On the distant horizon, the silhouette of Probus emerges, a solitary testament to human presence amidst the sprawling canvas of nature’s grandeur. This entire valley, it's protected wildlife and the businesses within it will be ruined if we cannot stop the planning application for a 200 acre solar on it's land.

  • Cleve Hill - This development will consist 800,000 of solar panels covering an area of approximately 360 hectares (890 acres) of former grazing marsh. The development site is ‘functionally linked’ to the surrounding habitats, and plays a vital role in supporting the species for which the area has been designated. In particular, significant numbers of Brent geese, lapwing and golden plover use the farmland. Marsh harrier breed and feed in the area, and may be displaced by the presence of the solar panels.

  • Winfield - Winfield Solar Farm near Brafferton.

  • Save Ash Level - Save Ash Level & Richborough Roman Fort from a Devastating 205 Acre Industrial Solar Site Set To Connect Ash and Sandwich.

  • Stop Staveley Solar Farm - Rutland Solar Action Group is campaigning to Stop Staveley Solar Farm, a large scale industrial development proposed by Bluestone Energy and Anglian Water. (Objections by April 12, 2024. Visit www.rutland.gov.uk and search planning, quoting reference 2024/0300/MAF.) We are in favour of renewable energy but believe solar panels should go on roofs, not farmland. For food security, for the historic landscape of medieval villages, lanes and fields and for nature, we're calling on Rutland County Council to Stop Staveley Solar Farm.

  • Stop Lime Down Solar - Lime Down Solar Park is a proposal to cover nearly 3 square miles of valuable and productive farm land of our beautiful and biodiverse countryside in North Wiltshire stretching from south of Sherston to Lower Stanton with 4.5 meter high panels surrounded by a 6 meter hire security fence.

  • Roundhill Wood - Rachel Maclean MP speaks in the House of Commons. “This is not an example nof good design, placemaking or sustaianbility.”

  • Bishampton, Worcestershire - construction site and noise from piling

  • Solar Farm Piling - hundreds of thousands of piles - taking months to install. Wait untikl he puts his hands over his ears…..

  • Solar Inverter Noise - 24/7

  • More Solar Inverter Noise - 24/7 too

  • Save the Shire - literalilly literary landscapes

Not A Pretty Site












SCA Webinar 21st April 2022

Using UK Land Wisely

John Nettles, Devon campaign against proposed solar scheme