As solar farms creep across our farmland, CPRE’s Rupert Hardy asks why rooftop panels are still overlooked in the rush to meet clean energy targets
Image: Rupert Hardy
In December, Ed Miliband published his Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, aiming to switch the UK to 95 per cent clean energy by the end of the decade. The government has rightly prioritised wind power to meet the majority of our renewable needs, with solar playing a lesser role given its lower efficiency. However, much of Miliband’s plan relies on heroically optimistic assumptions, already labelled unachievable by energy consultants such as Cornwall Insight. Few believe the Action Plan will lower energy prices any time soon.
A rethink on banning new oil and gas licences in the North Sea might help ease reliance on expensive, insecure imports during the transition. Meanwhile, the mountain of Grid upgrades needed looks insuperable – and will be costly. Many ask why Britain, in the current economy, has set some of the most ambitious clean energy targets in Europe.
The countryside will bear the brunt of this drive. More greenfield solar farms are being rushed through, alongside new pylons.
Dorset already has one of the highest numbers of approved solar farms in England, despite the industrial scars they leave on landscapes vital to tourism. We may avoid the mega-solar farms and new pylons now threatening East Anglia, and the proposed offshore Portwind development can thankfully connect relatively easily to the Chickerell substation.
But more large-scale solar farms are still planned – particularly in North Dorset.
Pending planning battles
Last year, a 64-acre solar farm was proposed south of Motcombe, set to impact local residents. More concerning, however, was a plan to build a giant, highly visible solar farm across 400 acres of good arable land in the historic Yeo Valley between Bradford Abbas and Thornford.
This year, a 156-acre solar farm is being proposed north of iconic Duncliffe Wood, straddling the A30 west of Shaftesbury. The site, on some of Dorset’s best and most versatile land, would be highly visible given the contours, and sits adjacent to the ancient woodland which is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest. With around 25,000 annual visitors to Duncliffe Wood, many of whom are there specifcally for its rural tranquility, one hopes there will be strong and vocal opposition.
There are important heritage assets nearby too, and the cumulative impact of multiple solar sites must not be ignored. Small, well-screened solar farms on low-quality land have a place. Vast industrial-scale developments do not.
Two major solar farm proposals near Horton Tower, in east Dorset, will be considered at planning hearings in early May. Both would be sited on good arable land and risk harm to protected landscapes, heritage sites, and community amenity. Dorset Council faces considerable pressure to approve them – the outcome will be telling.
Token actions
The CPRE has long argued that rooftop solar, not greenfield development, offers the real solution. In Dorset, more than 90 per cent of roofs still lack panels. University College London research shows rooftop solar alone could meet much of the UK’s solar target, with a 117GW potential compared to the government’s 45 to 47GW target by 2030.
Public support for rooftop installation is strong, particularly across car parks, warehouses, schools and public buildings. Rooftop solar would also reduce strain on the Grid by generating energy closer to where it is consumed.
Yet government action remains tokenistic.
Great British Energy’s £180m pledge to fit panels to just 400 public buildings barely scratches the surface. CPRE continues to champion the Sunshine Bill, which would mandate solar panels on all new homes, but progress has been slow.
Locally, initiatives like Sustainable Swanage’s community energy projects show what can be achieved, but these are hampered by pitifully small subsidies.
Dorset Council could have strengthened energy standards in new developments – as Cornwall has done – but progress has been tied up in the delayed Local Plan.
Protect what matters
There is only one conclusion: solar farms must be better located, focusing on less sensitive sites. Rooftop solar must be prioritised. Dorset’s beautiful countryside needs protecting.
