There has been a huge rise in the number of solar farms being refused planning permission, new research reveals.
Planning permission for 23 solar farms has been refused across England, Wales and Scotland between January 2021 and July 2022, according to the planning and development consultancy Turley.
This is a dramatic increase on the last few years which saw only four projects refused planning permission during 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 combined.
These solar farms could have produced enough renewable energy to power an estimated 147,000 homes annually.
Emma Kelly, associate director at Turley, 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.’
