Do solar farms need planning permission?

Solar farms with a generating capacity below 50 megawatts (MW) need planning permission from the local planning authority (LPA). 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).

Do solar farms need development consent?

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). Planning is a devolved matter.

Do you need planning permission to install solar panels?

Current rules that require businesses to apply for planning permission if solar panels will generate more than one megawatt of electricity will also be scrapped, meaning organisations will be able to install more solar panels on rooftops without the delay and cost of applying for planning permission.

Does government support solar?

It sets out that government is supportive of solar that is “co-located [footnote 80] with other functions (for example, agriculture, onshore wind generation, or storage) to maximise the efficiency of land use”.

Should you store solar energy and use it yourself?

The price you're paid for each unit of energy you export to the grid is usually much lower than the price you pay your supplier for electricity. So, economically, it makes more sense to store the solar energy and use it yourself – with E.on saying a household with a battery could use 30% more of the electricity they generate themselves.

Should solar farms have public rights of way?

Whilst the additional policy provided in relation to public rights of way acknowledges the potential impacts that large-scale solar development may have on such routes, it is often the case that landowners will agree to permissive paths being created for the operation of the solar farm but not the adoption of public rights of way.