Ed Miliband has agreed to a major expansion of renewable energy projects across the UK, backing solar farms that could cover a farmland near Manchester, alongside dozens of new onshore wind projects.
On Tuesday the Energy Secretary awarded consumer-funded subsidies for 134 new solar farms across England and a further 23 in Wales and Scotland. He also approved 28 large onshore wind projects, mostly on hillsides in Scotland and Wales.
Projects given the green light include the huge West Burton solar farm on prime agricultural land on the Lincolnshire-Nottinghamshire border, and one of the UK’s most northerly solar projects on farmland in north Aberdeenshire. Miliband also approved England’s largest onshore wind project in a decade, the 20-megawatt Imerys wind farm on a former mining site in Cornwall.
Under the government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) regime, operators of the new projects will receive a guaranteed minimum price for the electricity they produce for up to 20 years after commissioning, with the difference funded through levies on consumers’ energy bills.
The announcement was welcomed by renewable energy developers and industry groups who argue that large-scale solar and onshore wind turbines are among the cheapest ways to generate new electricity.
But rural and community activists warned that the decision risks long-term damage to farmland and rural landscapes.
Claire Coutinho, Labour’s shadow energy minister, said the subsidies would ultimately increase households’ bills. “When you add in grid fees and backup power, the actual cost of that power is far higher,” she said. “All of this will result in electricity becoming more expensive at a time when we need cheaper electricity to support growth and living standards.”
The permits include 4.9 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity, 1.3 GW of onshore wind and four experimental tidal power plants totaling 21 megawatts. They follow confirmation of subsidies for 8.4GW of offshore wind capacity earlier this month.
Campaign groups argue that the land impacts of solar energy are underestimated. Rosie Pearson, chair of the Community Planning Alliance, said: “This means further destruction of the countryside and prime farmland, while warehouse roofs, car parks and houses are left without solar panels. Add to this the pylons that accompany these projects and rural areas are becoming industrialised.”
Based on previous developments, the approved solar farms could cover more than 40 square miles of predominantly agricultural land, roughly the size of Manchester, which covers an area of around 45 square miles. The solar industry counters that improved panel efficiency could reduce the final land use to about 36 square miles, roughly the area of Stoke-on-Trent.
Concerns have also been raised about the pace of onshore wind development in Scotland. Helen Crawford, from the Highland Community Council Convention on Major Energy Infrastructure, said communities were being left behind by planning decisions. “The lack of strategic spatial planning has led to a democratic deficit between communities and policymakers,” she said.
Industry groups rejected claims that the projects would drive up costs. RenewableUK’s James Robottom said new onshore wind turbines would protect consumers from volatile gas prices, while Chris Hewett, managing director of Solar Energy UK, called the approvals “proof positive” that solar energy delivers the cheapest electricity available.
Miliband defended the decision, saying the expansion would strengthen energy security and reduce costs in the long term. “By encouraging large-scale solar and onshore wind energy, we sustainably reduce costs and protect families and businesses from the fossil fuel roller coaster controlled by oil states and dictators,” he said.
Under the latest CfD terms, new onshore wind farms will receive a minimum price of £75.50 per megawatt hour (MWh) at today’s prices, while solar projects will receive £68.17 per MWh. This compares to market prices of around £60 per MWh for electricity expected to be delivered in summer 2028.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has previously warned that CfD levies on consumer and business energy bills are expected to rise from £2.3 billion in 2024-25 to around £5 billion in 2030-31, intensifying the political debate over who will ultimately pay for the UK’s clean energy transition.
