The British government looks likely to fast-track the imposition of solar farms in rural locations, with serious consequences for agriculture and rural communities.
In response, Shadow Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Joy Morrissey declared:
The government must not ride roughshod over our rural communities in pursuit of their mad targets, paving over important green spaces, putting at risk our agricultural industries, and compromising our national food security.
Following its election victory, characterised by winning a majority in parliament from the votes of a small slice of the electorate, Labour accelerated its commitment to Net Zero by approving four of the UK’s largest solar farms. Two sites in the county of Norfolk are predicted to seriously impact surrounding areas. German firm RWE is due to cover 4,000 acres of farmland at five sites—15 times larger than any current UK solar farm—while competitor East Pye Solar would comprise numerous sites, clustered around Hempnall but affecting up to a dozen other nearby villages.
The developments are possible thanks to new planning laws, which label Net Zero schemes as ‘Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.’ Following the incantation of these magic words, the decision to commission falls to Ed Miliband, the government’s energy secretary, bypassing the usual planning processes—i.e., securing permission to build—which are run by local authorities.
Miliband has vowed to bring a number of decarbonisation targets forward, with all electricity set to be generated by ‘clean’ sources by 2030—five years ahead of European Union targets. Concerns about the efficiency and generative power of solar, not least under cloudy British skies, are simply batted aside. The problem with renewables is that they pose a constant risk of blackouts and price spikes.
While the Labour government promises a ‘clean energy superpower,’ residents in Norfolk anticipate the loss of farmland, increasing food prices, and dependence on agricultural imports. The government’s counter-argument, based on a reduced UK-wide carbon footprint, seems scant consolation—alongside the disappearance of local beauty spots under the eyesore of solar panel farms.
Other Labour Net Zero policies include reversing the decade-long ban on onshore windfarms and setting up a green power entity named GB Energy while refusing to grant new offshore oil and gas exploration licences.
