To download the list of current NSIPs for solar PV: click here
UK government plans for net zero
The UK aims to install 45–47GW of solar PV capacity by 2030 under its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, with potential to exceed this target, according to Solar Energy UK. The latest data from the UK government has shown that the UK now has 16.9GW of solar capacity online as of the end of June 2024, with more under construction or committed. It aims to achieve 70GW of solar power by 2035.
A graph from Solar Power Portal showing UK solar
deployment, separated by capacity. Image: DESNZ
Expanding solar capacity
The previous Conservative Party had planned to expand the country’s solar capacity by 5-fold from 14 GW, as announced in 2022. The Labour Party promised to triple solar power, double onshore wind and quadruple offshore wind by 2030. The new plan sees offshore wind becoming the backbone of the country’s future electricity system. Battery storage (23–27 GW), long-duration storage (4–6 GW), and consumer-led flexibility are key components, alongside 35 GW of natural gas for reserve capacity.
The government is also exploring rooftop solar, including panels on warehouses and carparks (such as those at Babraham Park and Ride), with a call for evidence on solar canopies in 2025. Solar will also feature in future updates of the Warm Homes Plan.
Ground-mounted vs rooftop solar
In a report by Solar Energy UK, ground mounted solar farms are considered to represent a key part of the UK’s Energy Security and Net Zero Strategy. Currently solar farms occupy less than 0.1% of the UK’s land. To meet the government’s net zero target, would mean solar farms would account for approximately 0.6% of UK land. It is said that this is less than the amount currently occupied by golf courses. The UK Government Food Security Report, published in December 2021, also implies that solar farms do not in any way present a risk to the UK’s food security.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) generally opposes ground-mounted solar panels in favour of rooftop solar panels. Ground-mounted solar is now a well-established technology and continues to improve as panels become more efficient and better designed.
To maximize energy production, large-scale solar producers are seeking to cover extensive areas of land, particularly in sunnier parts of the country such as Lincolnshire and East Anglia. The CPRE state: “Depending on their location, solar farms can have an industrialising impact on the landscape. Along with loss of productive farmland, this is often why solar energy installations are opposed.”
However, they go on to say: “Our rooftop stance doesn’t mean that we oppose all proposals for ground mounted solar panels in the countryside. Our Community Energy Visioning projects show that rural communities are often able to propose suitable locations for solar farms when they are empowered to have their say on their scale and design.”
Current plans for large-scale solar
Following the recent approvals of three large-scale solar farms, in addition to the four approved by the previous Conservative government, KSCA have compiled a roundup of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) currently in pre-application, pre-examination, and examination phases. You can download or read the document here.
This document outlines the capacity of each development, the developer and where they are in the planning process. Despite the apparent ‘gold rush’, there is still a long way to go before the UK reaches its solar targets.
To find out more out the NSIP planning process, click here