Solar Technology Could Meet the UK’s Electricity Needs Without Sacrificing Farmland

According to new research, ambitious government plans for expanding solar farms in the UK could be realized without sacrificing valuable farmland. A study conducted by the University of Sheffield examined how agrivoltaics technology—integrating solar panels into farmland while allowing agricultural activities to continue—can help the UK meet its solar energy targets and achieve its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050.

Current government initiatives to significantly increase ground-mounted solar parks, already prevalent across the UK, have faced backlash from farmers and the public. Concerns about the potential loss of high-quality agricultural land, impacts on food production and living costs, and the visual effects on landscapes have driven this criticism.

The Great Britain-focused study highlights that the implementation of agrivoltaics, which involves installing solar photovoltaic panels in a way that permits farming activities beneath or between them, could enable the concurrent production of crops, livestock, and renewable energy. This technology has such high coverage potential that it could singularly fulfill the UK government’s photovoltaic (PV) targets while avoiding conflicts over land use.

Professor Sue Hartley, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of Sheffield and co-author of the study, stated: “The Government and solar developers have ambitious plans for expanding solar farms, but these risk the loss of crucial agricultural land needed for food production, especially amid global food security challenges driven by geopolitical uncertainty and climate change. Agrivoltaic technology offers a promising solution. It allows us to utilize the same land for both food and clean energy production, addressing many criticisms directed at solar farms.”

This technology is already in regular use in various parts of the world, including regions like Scandinavia, which receive less sunlight than the UK, yet it has not yet been widely adopted in the UK. The research identifies the areas within the UK where agrivoltaics can be most effectively implemented to mitigate land use conflicts and fulfill the nation’s energy requirements.

Regions highlighted for effective agrivoltaics deployment include Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, and the broader East and South East of England. Factors contributing to this suitability include the availability of flat land, existing agricultural usage, grid connectivity, and solar radiation levels.

A previous £1.4 million research project led by the University of Sheffield installed agrivoltaic systems on farmland in Tanzania and Kenya. This initiative not only produced low-carbon electricity but also significantly increased crop yields and conserved water in regions highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The study found that certain crops, including maize, Swiss chard, and beans, thrived under the partial shade provided by solar panels. This shade also helped reduce water evaporation, leading to more efficient water use, while the panels themselves collected rainwater to support irrigation needs.

The latest study on the technology’s potential in the UK seeks to inform land use policy discussions by advocating for multifunctional land use and encouraging further research to support the development of domestic agrivoltaics. Co-author Dr. Richard Randle-Boggis, who previously conducted agrivoltaics research at the University of Sheffield and is now a research scientist at SINTEF, remarked: “Research on agrivoltaics is extensive in mainland Europe, but very little has been done in the UK. Our next step should involve field experiments to assess the performance of these systems, explore various designs with different crops, and better understand the views of local communities and other stakeholders. The loss of farmland is a major reason why communities oppose solar park developments in their areas. Our research represents a significant step in demonstrating where solar parks could be developed alongside agricultural activities, ensuring farmland remains intact.”