Planning for solar farms

What are the government’s solar power targets?

The government set a legally binding target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. As part of meeting this target, the government has set the aim of delivering clean power by 2030. This means low-carbon power sources would produce at least 95% of Great Britain’s electricity generation.

The governments Clean Power 2030 Action Plan (December 2024) provides further detail on the clean power target. It includes a target for the total installed capacity of solar installations to reach 45-57 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, about 2.5 times the installed capacity in March 2025 (18.1 GW). It noted that there is the potential for an additional 9-10 GW by 2030 though the deployment of rooftop solar. The Library briefing, Clean power targets (March 2025) provides more detail about targets for different renewables technologies.

The government has relaunched the Solar Taskforce, a joint government industry body. The Taskforce will publish a solar roadmap that will set out a “step by step deployment trajectory” and recommendations to government and industry for actions needed to meet the governments targets. The Clean Power Action Plan stated the roadmap was expected in Spring 2025.

Reaching the government’s targets on solar energy require big increases in solar deployment. The government says that achieving these targets will include both ground-mounted solar farms and rooftop installations.

What are solar farms?

Solar farms (also known as solar parks or solar power stations) are installations of multiple solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. They generate electricity at a large scale to feed into the grid and to supply power on a commercial basis.

Most solar farms consist of ground-mounted panels which are sited on land rather than rooftops. Unlike rooftop panels, ground-mounted panels can be more easily placed away from shade and can be tilted so they are at the right angle to harvest sunlight most efficiently throughout the day and the year. The International Energy Agency has said that “utility-scale solar PV is the least costly option for new electricity generation in a significant majority of countries worldwide”.

Solar farms have a typical lifespan of about 30 to 40 years. Planning permissions are usually time limited and conditions may be attached to require that the land is restored to its previous use once the installations are no longer in use.

Solar farms are sometimes accompanied by Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) nearby, which can store excess energy when supply is higher than demand.

Trends in solar power generation

In 2024, electricity generation from solar photovoltaics (PV) amounted to 14.8 Terrawatt-hours (TWh). A TWh is equivalent to a trillion watt hours. This was around 10% of renewable electricity generated and 5% of total electricity generated in the UK.

The chart below shows that the cumulative installed capacity of solar power in the UK has grown substantially since 2010. This includes solar systems of any size, both small-scale solar systems that are installed by households for their direct consumption and large-scale solar farms. It also includes both rooftop and ground-mounted solar installations.

In March 2025, there were around 1.8 million solar installations with a cumulative capacity of 18.1 gigawatts (GW) in the UK (up from 0.03 GW, in January 2010).

^{Source: DESNZ, Solar photovoltaics deployment, 24 April 2025.}

Solar farms are not evenly distributed across the UK. 41% of ground-mounted installations (that have a capacity of at least one MW) that are already operational or are awaiting/under construction are located in the South East and South West of England. This is because the potential for solar power is greater further south in the UK.

At the end of September 2024, ground-mount solar panels covered an estimated 21,200 hectares, which is around 0.1 per cent of the total land area of the UK.

Planning consent for solar farms (May 2025)

Solar farms require planning permission. The size of a solar farm will determine which body decides the application. In 2025, in England:

• Solar farms with a generating capacity below 50 MW need planning permission from the local planning authority (LPA). LPAs in England will decide applications for smaller-scale solar farms in line with their local plan, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and planning practice guidance.

• Solar farms with a generating capacity above 50 MW need development consent from the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, because they are nationally significant infrastructure projects’ (NSIPs). The Secretary of State will decide applications for large-scale solar farms in line with energy national policy statements, specifically EN-1 (overarching national policy statement for energy) and EN-3 (renewable energy infrastructure)

Planning is a devolved matter. In the devolved administrations, the size of a solar farm will also determine whether the LPA or the government decide an application. Thresholds differ across the UK. The attached briefing sets out planning rules for solar farms in the devolved administrations as of May 2024.

Planning policy changes for solar farm deployment

The government is in the process of making policy and legislative changes to the Town and Country Planning and Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project planning regimes in England. These are relevant to renewable energy infrastructure development, including solar farms. 

The attached briefing sets out planning rules for solar farms as of May 2024. The following are key updates since then with respect to solar farms in England:

• From 31 December 2025 the threshold for solar farms in England defined as NSIPs will increase to 100 MW generating capacity.

• An updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published in December 2024, with a new policy on renewable energy located in the Green Belt. This requires developers to demonstrate ‘very special circumstances’ for locating ‘small scale’ solar farms (those generating below 100 MW from 31 December 2025) within the Green Belt. 

• In April 2025, the government opened consultations on revised national policy statements, which guide decision making on NSIPs, to align policy with the government’s Clean Power Action Plan.

• ThePlanning and Infrastructure Bill 2024-2025 includes changes to the NSIP process that would introduce a requirement for up to date national policy statements and a revised procedure for legal challenge such as for cases deemed to be “without merit”.

Land use for solar farms

Concerns about solar farms and land use

There have been concerns raised about the impact of large-scale solar farms on the countryside, particularly regarding agricultural land and the impact on food security and biodiversity. Some MPs have also raised concerns about the clustering of large-scale solar farms around grid connections, and the cumulative impact of multiple solar farms in an area.

Some organisations, such as the countryside charity CPRE, have expressed concern that “valuable farmland” is often “the location of choice for solar developments”. CPRE has said it is “essential” to preserve agricultural land for food production.

Renewable energy groups, such as Solar Energy UK, have argued that “solar farms pose no threat to the UK’s food security” (PDF). Renewable energy groups also point to the multi-functional use of land, for example, grazing sheep on solar farms, to highlight that solar power and farming are not always mutually exclusive and that well-managed solar farms can support biodiversity.

Planning guidance regarding agricultural land

Government guidance encourages renewable energy developments in England to use previously developed and non-agricultural land.

For small-scale solar farms (currently below 50 MW) government planning practice guidance says that planning authorities should encourage development on previously developed and non-agricultural land. The National Planning Policy Framework states that when located in the Green Belt, elements of many renewable energy projects will comprise inappropriate development” (NPPF, para 160).

For large-scale farms that are NSIPs, the national policy statement for renewable energy infrastructure advises that solar farms should be sited on previously developed and non-agricultural land. However, it does not prohibit the siting of solar farms on agricultural land.

Solar Energy UK notes that solar farms are often located on agricultural land, because areas of poorer quality land are often unsuitable for solar farm development, for example due to “absence of suitable grid access, flood risk, terrain difficulties or the land simply being unavailable for development”. 

Land use consultations and reviews

There are several ongoing reviews relevant to land use planning for renewable energy developments. Great Britain’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) is preparing a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, that will map potential locations, quantities and types of electricity and hydrogen generation and storage infrastructure over time. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are also working on producing a new land use framework for England.