Planning permission for 23 solar farms, totalling 748MW, has been refused across England, Wales and Scotland between January 2021 and July 2022, according to new analysis.
Planning refusals have jumped significantly since the start of 2021, as research conducted by planning and development consultancy Turley found that in comparison only four projects were refused planning permission during 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 combined.
The analysis found that the solar farms that were refused planning permission could have generated 748MW of energy in total, which is the equivalent to powering up to 147,000 homes per year.
The South West and Eastern England had the highest number of refusals for planning permission, with four projects turned down each.
Wales, the West Midlands and Scotland had three refusals each, while the East Midlands, North East and South East each had two planning applications turned down.
This comes after Liz Truss announced controversial plan to crack down on solar farms, in which she called the sight of solar panels in fields “depressing”, Turley said.
Solar technology is listed as a key contributor to renewable power generation in the Government’s British Energy Security Strategy, released in April this year.
The strategy set out ambitions of generating 70GW of energy from solar technology by 2035 and promises to consult on amending planning rules to strengthen policy in favour of development on non-protected land, as well as supporting solar that is co-located with other functions such as agriculture and established energy infrastructure.
Turley associate director Emma Kelly said: “Solar should be a key contributor to the energy market, especially as we look to diversify our renewable energy products to ensure maintenance of supply.
“The significant uplift in planning permission refusal for solar farms goes entirely against the proposals laid out in the Government’s British Energy Security Strategy.
“Solar power currently contributes 14GW of energy at present, so we have some way to go before reaching the 70GW target.
“If Liz Truss goes ahead with her plan, the British Energy Security Strategy will need to be rewritten.
“Biodiversity is certainly a factor we need to consider with solar farms whilst the ongoing rise of the cost of energy has shown just how important renewable energy generation is for the future of the UK.
“A growing trend of refusing planning permission for renewable energy projects that are designed to support energy security is a huge step backwards on our road to Net Zero.”