UKSA sends Net Zero open letter

Ahead of the General Election on 4 July 2024, the UKSA sent an open letter to leaders of the political parties.

Dr Catherine Judkins, UKSA Chair, said: “A secure green future must be built on the foundations of sound long-term decisions, not driven by short-term thinking and developers’ profit margins. With more clarity, careful policy making, monitoring and regulation, we could see good quality, considered solar schemes, in the right places and at the right scale.”

Read the letter here.

Alliance warns of risks of mass solar rollout

In June, the UKSA issued a media release warning that plans to build vast ground-mounted solar power plants on thousands of acres of fertile farmland – many from foreign-funded developers – are seriously flawed and pose hidden risks to UK food security, national security and the country’s future legacy.

Look at the media release here.

UKSA calls on Energy Minister to clarify decision-making

The UKSA issued a media release in July calling on new Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to provide more clarity on his decision-making process on solar planning decisions. The Alliance was reacting to the three mega solar schemes that Ed Miliband approved to go on farmland just three days into his new role. One scheme had been recommended for rejection by the Planning Inspectorate, while another is to be constructed by a developer that has already been sanctioned in the US for using solar panels built using Chinese slave labour. The UKSA is also urging the government to make public the measures being taken to scrutinise the private investors building solar schemes on British soil.

Look at the media release here.

UKSA sets out issues with ground-mounted solar

In the rush to cover productive UK farmland with ground-mounted solar panels, key facts are being overlooked, according to the Alliance. The realities are summarised in its briefing note ‘8 Uncomfortable Truths’, including that:

• The UK has become an outlier within Europe as neighbouring countries use land more intelligently, for example putting more solar panels on industrial and commercial rooftops, creating car park ‘panel canopies’ or running banks of panels down transport corridors. Instead of mandating or incentivising developers to do the same here, the UK is now following a ‘fields first’ route, with several enormous solar scheme plans targeting farmland consented within days of the new Energy Minister taking up his post
• Utility scale solar developers, typically with foreign funding, are likely to benefit from generous energy pricing structures and the potential for arbitrage – either way, consumers will lose out
• The ranks of battery energy storage systems that sit alongside giant solar schemes have well known fire and explosion risks – there have been serious incidents around the world and one already here in a built-up residential area of Liverpool 

Read the briefing note here.