Solar Energy UK
25 March 2026
An independent report on solar farms in Cornwall has backed the industry’s assertions that the sector can grow markedly without significant impacts on food production.
“Solar farm growth has not significantly reduced arable land,” concludes the 187-page report from Bath-based sustainability consultants 3ADAPT.[1] Published earlier this month, it was commissioned by Cornwall Council following a motion by councillors in April 2024.[2]
The study will form the basis of a new Land Use Framework for Cornwall, with the council promising to explore “mapping opportunities for co‑location of uses and renewables, the role of cropping history in planning, supporting sustainable soil and the potential for smart local energy systems.”
It explicitly rejects the motion’s argument that renewable energy generation conflicts with commercial agriculture, particularly for bulb flowers and brassicas such as cabbage and broccoli. Cornwall accounts for the majority of Britain’s winter cauliflower production and dominates the market for cut daffodils, so they are of significant regional economic importance.
But the report demonstrates that there is “a very small overlap” between land suitable for brassicas, bulbs and crops that can be harvested twice a year and existing solar farms. Only two sites, out of 87, intersect with areas of spring barley. To emphasise the lack of conflict, brassicas were grown on only 2,155 hectares of land in 2023, compared to over 132,000ha of grassland across the county.
Being the sunniest and hence most productive part of the UK for solar generation, many developers have an interest in Cornwall.
However, solar farms occupy “a very small proportion” of it, currently around 0.3%, according to the report. Impressions that the industry takes up more than this are nothing more than illusory: more than half are within 500 metres of major roads and railways, “meaning they are frequently visible despite their small overall footprint. This visibility can make their presence seem greater,” says the report.
Another contributing factor is clustering due to the availability of grid connections, suitable land and planning policy requirements. This is expected to continue as the sector – which produces the UK’s cheapest power – expands rapidly.
An analysis by the University of Exeter found that two thirds of Cornwall is further than 2km from a high-voltage substation, limiting the practicality of building a solar farm or any other form of infrastructure that either generates or requires a large amount of power. But there are greater constraints to consider: 24 of 70 primary substations (which step down 132-kilovolt supplies to a lesser voltage, generally 33kV) and 8 or 10 bulk supply points (which connect the distribution grid to the high-voltage transmission network) are nearing capacity limits.
Therefore, locating solar farms near large energy users such as dairy farms, factories, hospitals and schools may be advantageous. This reflects “a growing interest from farmers and landowners in self-sufficiency,” in energy, says 3ADAPT.
Suitability for solar development is further limited by the number of protected areas, with national landscapes, sites of special scientific interest and heritage coast accounting for 40% of the county.
But even after such issues are considered, “there is still a considerable amount of land available for potential solar energy deployment in Cornwall,” says the report.
Meeting the council’s renewable energy ambitions, as laid out in its Local Area Energy Plan, would imply adding around 2,750 hectares of solar farms. Added to existing installations, this would come to around 1% of the county, says the report.
It backs Solar Energy UK’s findings that solar farms can be one aspect of multiple simultaneous uses of the same land: energy production, biodiversity gain and agriculture, either through horticulture under and around the panels or grazing livestock.
Though often underappreciated by the public, solar farms can be havens for nature, being home to many rare and declining species such as bee orchids, yellowhammers and brown hares.[3] 3ADAPT emphasises that there is “no current conflict between operational solar farms and areas of particular importance for biodiversity”.
“Solar farms are great assets for any region – for the economy, for cutting bills, for employment and for nature too – but are beset by an array of myths and misinformation. That is particularly so for how they interact with agriculture,” said Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of the trade association Solar Energy UK.[4]
“I am grateful that Cornwall Council commissioned this valuable and independent report, which shows the real facts about the sector. As farmers themselves have told us, solar farms are keeping them in the business of growing food by delivering a steady and reliable income, unaffected by crop failure and unseasonable weather,” he added.
Aidan Van de Weyer, from renewables planning consultancy Lanpro, said: “Developers always aim to minimize impacts of solar schemes on the economy and on the environment. We work hard to select sites in Cornwall that are located on lower quality land. This new report confirms that maintaining a productive agricultural sector is compatible with the development of new large-scale solar farms which contribute to carbon reduction targets.”
3ADAPT and Cornwall Council declined to comment.
[1] Cornwall Land Use Study: Final Report – Cornwall Council
[2] Cornwall Council motion, 16 April 2024
[4] For solar to go big in the UK we first need to bust some myths – Solar Energy UK
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