Where is it all going to fit?

Those amongst us who are interested in such things are aware of how far we have come in terms of installing solar over recent years. This is a global phenomenon of course and, aside from domestic installations, ranges from panels on school roofs to the biggest solar farm in the world at Tengger Desert Solar Park in north-central China producing 1,547 megawatts and locally known as the “Great Wall of Solar”. This is expected to be overtaken by the Indian Shakti Sthala Solar Park which is expected to be capable of producing an output of 2,000 megawatts by the end of this year. It is estimated that annual additions of solar technology globally will almost triple by 2030 from today’s levels, setting new records for deployment each year after 2022 according to the World Energy Outlook from the International Energy Agency.

This increase will be spread across all regions and countries. Local authorities in the UK are in a prime position to take advantage of solar opportunities. Land based solar needs land obviously and many councils have land assets which could be used for solar. A common barrier is the green belt and other allocations identified in the Local Plan such as SSSIs or AONBs. However, we have seen changing attitudes with regard to what was previously considered sacrosanct. The need to reduce emissions, opportunities for an income stream, the generation of green energy and the public’s acceptance of renewable energy are all push factors to building solar farms on sites which may not have been considered just a short while ago. Solar farms can be screened and the fact that they are temporary developments (at the end of the life or warranty the panels, inverters and cables and can be picked up and moved elsewhere, so returning the site to its prior use) should be borne in mind when looking at where to put solar installations.   

We have talked about councils owning solar on buildings owned by other organisations and this is an option that many of them have taken, alongside those who have already installed it on their own buildings. Therefore, there is a lot of council owned solar out there already but it is a fraction of what can be installed.

So, think hard about your alternatives with regard to solar. Your local authority may well have the land on which to build it and the usual restrictions may not be as much of a problem as they once were.