Scottish Farmers Unite to Support National Solar Expansion Initiatives

Image Credit: SENS

A significant deal has been struck between the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) and a leading clean power developer, Igony Solar Energy Solutions (SENS UK), aiming to propel Scotland's journey towards net zero. This collaboration promises to roll out solar farms nationwide, offering farmers an extra income stream while ensuring that productive agricultural land remains untouched.

Representing over 9,000 farming and crofting businesses in Scotland, the NFUS announced its "affinity" deal with SENS UK last week. This partnership involves identifying suitable sites for solar and battery projects and adhering to union criteria to avoid encroaching on productive farmland. SENS UK plans to develop renewable energy projects on these selected sites, allowing landowners to receive a competitive market rent for up to 40 years.

Under the NFUS's recommendations, the ideal sites should be at least 80 acres, with low flood risk and minimal rocky or steep terrain. Most of the land should fall under grade 3 of the government's Agricultural Land Classification, indicating moderate limitations affecting crop choice and yield. Additionally, these sites should be leasable and capable of connecting to the National Grid.

This agreement comes amid Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho's recent assertions that large-scale solar farms could threaten food security by occupying valuable farmland. She reaffirmed the government's stance that solar farms should avoid the most productive agricultural lands. However, campaigners have labeled this view "nonsensical," highlighting that solar farms offer low-cost clean power, additional income for farmers, and negligible impact on food security and land use. They also note that existing planning guidance limits solar farm development on prime farmland.

In response to these concerns, the NFUS reassured landowners and farmers that solar installations would not significantly reduce the amount of productive farmland in the UK. The union stated that achieving the UK's net zero goals would require solar arrays on only 0.29% of available land, which translates to about 0.51% of all agricultural land. UK airports use 0.2% of all land for comparison, while golf courses occupy 0.51%.

This innovative deal between NFUS and SENS UK underscores a balanced approach to advancing renewable energy while safeguarding agricultural productivity. It sets a precedent for sustainable development in the quest for net zero emissions.

NFU Scotland's commercial manager Tom Graham said the partnership with Igony would help keep Scotland's farming sector "at the forefront of new solar technology," which he said would "help NFU Scotland's members build sustainable and profitable businesses by creating additional income on what they do for years to come."

"Agrivoltaics and solar technology are currently developing at a rapid pace," he added. "We've seen how impactful and innovative our members can be when they are supported by reliable renewable services, and we expect many of them will want to explore this opportunity to grow their businesses without using up productive agricultural land, still facilitating grazing and thus create a stable economic future for Scottish agriculture."

James Bracegirdle, managing director at SENS in the UK, welcomed the deal with NFUS.

"Although it's clear that our projects will help Scotland advance its Net Zero goals, we also hope that our involvement and our financial capability will give Scottish farmers a solid alternative option to generate long-term, stable income."