The UK government has opened consultation on a land use framework that could make it less likely “high quality farmland” is lost to renewable energy projects.
Proposed reforms to the NSIP and legal systems are very much welcomed by many in the industry. Here, we examine some recent legal and planning challenges to proposed solar NSIPs that could have been avoided by a more efficient planning system.
Renewable energy developer PS Renewables has been granted permission for a 34MW solar PV power plant in Lincolnshire, following an appeal to the planning inspectorate.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has granted development consent orders (DCOs) to the Heckington Fen Solar and West Burton Solar solar PV power plants.
The head of Scotland’s solar energy trade group has criticised plans to reform the grid to enable greater uptake of rooftop solar, noting that Scotland will not benefit from the proposed reforms.
The UK’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) has issued a proposal that, if approved, would see the transmission impact assessment (TIA) threshold rise from 1MW to 5MW.
Growing community opposition to solar developments and the high cost of capital will be pressing challenges for the European solar industry in the next year.