Solar farm ‘pace of construction to rise’

40 minutes ago

Paul MurphyEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire climate and environment correspondent

BBC A woman with glasses and dark hair, wearing a brown knitted jumper is sitting indoors in front of a window.

The solar energy industry says it expects to see continued growth during 2026 and an increasing rate of solar farm construction in many places.

Gareth Simpkins, from the industry body Solar Energy UK, said expansion was continuing at pace: “By the end of the year, we will have about 24 gigawatts of generation capacity in the UK, approximately four gigawatts more than we did a year before.”

But strong opposition to large-scale solar is continuing in some communities as concerns grow about its impact.

Alison Taylor from the East Yorkshire-based group Villages Against the Solar Threat (VAST) said some residents were “unaware of the changes” solar was going to bring.

Boom Power An artist's impression of a solar farm with hundreds of solar panels sited in open countryside

“We want to continue campaigning this year to make people fully aware of the impact industrial solar is going to have on the quality of life in many local communities, including the loss of valuable agricultural land.” she said.

Planning permission for small-scale solar farms is decided by local councils but larger proposals are classed as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPS) and planning decisions on these are made by a government minister.

From 31 December 2025 changes to planning rules mean an NSIP solar project is defined as one where the generating capacity exceeds 100 megawatts (MW).

Gareth Simpkins from Solar Energy UK said solar offered “the cheapest source of power” available in the UK and that concerns over loss of farmland were “a well-worn misapprehension. Solar farms take up a very small amount of land – around 0.1% of the UK’s land area.”

Eight NSIP solar developments have been approved for East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in the last 18 months.

There are at least nine more NSIP solar farms known to be in the planning pipeline for the region.

A woman with glasses and dark hair, wearing a brown knitted jumper is sitting indoors at a kitchen table with a laptop and newspapers in front of her. There is a bowl of red apples on the table and an A3-sized map with areas in pink - possibly a proposed solar farm location.

From her home in Spaldington, East Yorkshire, Alison Taylor from VAST has spent the last two years fighting a proposal by Boom Power for a 3000-acre (1214-hectare) industrial solar farm near to her home.

The project was given planning approval by government in May 2025 and Ms Taylor said she was “dreading” what the future would bring.

“We are going to be surrounded. The panels are the height of double-decker buses and they will dominate this rural village. They reckon construction alone will take three years.” she added.

Mark Hogan, founder and director of Boom Power, said: “Our East Yorkshire Solar Farm will contribute to developing essential renewable energy capacity in the UK and help to meet growing demand for energy security.

“The feedback from the community at the last round of consultation has been invaluable and where possible we have incorporated changes into our updated designs.”

A man wearing wellingtons and a brown coat is standing in front of open countryside and holding a 14.7ft (4.5m) high stick in his right hand.

Simon Skelton’s home near Gainsborough is near to four NSIP solar projects that have been approved in the last year.

The latest of the four to pass through planning is The Tillbridge Solar Farm near Glentworth and it is thought to be the UK’s largest.

Mr Skelton said the development will “dominate” the local landscape: “Every window we look out of it’ll be solar panels, ranging from a few hundred metres away to just 50m (164ft) away.

“These are 4.5m (14.7ft) high, so the height of a double-decker bus. They’re impossible to screen.”

Speaking in October 2025 Luke Murray, CEO at Tribus Clean Energy, said: “We’re delighted to have confirmation that Tillbridge Solar has been granted consent, and we can’t wait for the project to start delivering clean energy for people across the UK.

“As we head to construction, we’re committed to continuing our work with local communities to ensure the project is delivered in a way which respects and works with the area.”

A field filled with black solar panels arranged in a grid pattern.

Despite community concerns over the expansion of the solar industry the government is expected to continue its strong backing for this form of renewable energy in the year ahead.

In a statement issued in October 2025, as he approved Lincolnshire’s Tillbridge solar farm, the Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “Families across Lincolnshire and the rest of the country have seen their energy bills go through the roof as a result of our exposure to volatile gas prices.

“Solar is one of the cheapest and quickest power sources we can build, it is crucial in our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower – giving us energy security, good jobs and growth across the country.”

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire or Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices