Britain has approved its second largest solar farm, giving the national grid another enormous reason to stare at the sun while assuring everyone that the consultation process remains fully visible through the smoke.
On 8 July 2026, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced approval for One Earth Solar Farm. The department said it could power more than 200,000 homes a year, making it the UK’s second largest solar farm and the 30th nationally significant clean energy project approved since July 2024.
The announcement also said projects approved during that period could provide enough clean energy for more than 19 million homes. This is an impressive figure, although the homes are currently scattered across the country and cannot be arranged beside the ministerial podium for a satisfying group photograph.
The government presented solar as one of the cheapest forms of power available and as a route to energy security. The argument is straightforward. Britain would rather collect sunlight from its own fields than rent expensive fossil fuels from whichever international crisis is currently taking bookings.
Then came the reassuring mention of a rigorous planning process, with local communities, land use and the environment all considered. This appeared alongside news that mandatory pre application consultation for major infrastructure projects is being removed, potentially saving industry up to £1 billion during this Parliament.
The two ideas can coexist, apparently, provided they are kept in separate paragraphs and never invited to the same public meeting. Britain remains committed to listening carefully, provided the listening is completed before the timetable is shortened, the paperwork is simplified and the public discovers that its speaking slot was mostly decorative.
Government data published in June showed that 269,000 solar installations were completed across the UK during 2025. The panels are multiplying at a respectable rate, each one converting sunlight into electricity while carrying the full emotional burden of the national energy strategy and the slightly less public burden of making planning language sound enthusiastic.
A fictional planning officer said one panel had been issued with a high visibility vest, a consultation timetable and a tube of SPF 50. The panel was delighted with the vest, cautiously optimistic about the timetable and unwilling to discuss the sunscreen until it had seen the impact assessment.
One Earth Solar Farm can now move towards construction, subject to the planning requirements attached to its consent. The sun has approved the proposal too, but it wants future meetings held outdoors, with every participant laughing clearly for the photograph and nobody calling a billion pound saving a shortcut.
Source: GOV.UK.
