Daisy Hill

The Climate Emergency, the cost of living crisis and the energy crunch are all linked by how we generate, use and supply energy. We urgently need to generate energy from new, low cost, low carbon sources and solar is the lowest cost and quickest to deploy of all energy sources. It is currently one-ninth the cost of gas and less than one third of the cost of nuclear.

The proposed solar farm will generate renewable electricity integral to the UK Government’s overarching policy to provide significant reductions in national greenhouse gas emissions and improved energy security.

The Government’s Energy Security Strategy (2022) proposed a five-fold increase in solar by 2035. Daisy Hill Solar Farm will help the UK reach this target and create a greener, cleaner energy future for Yorkshire. We are committing long-term funding to bring forward renewable energy generation and low carbon programmes which we believe will help deliver a more sustainable future.

The solar farm is a temporary development and will not change the land classification. Once the solar farm is no longer in operation it will be decommissioned and the land will return to its previous agricultural usage.

The UK Food Security Report (2021) found that “the biggest medium to long term risk to the UK’s domestic production comes from climate change and other environmental pressures like soil degradation, water quality and biodiversity”. Solar farms currently account for 0.08% of total land use in the UK (Solar Energy UK 2022). The Government targets for a fivefold increase in solar would result in 0.3% of the UK land area being used by solar (Carbon Brief, 2022). This is the equivalent to around half of the space used by golf courses.

‘Solar is very effective in the UK as solar panels can operate efficiently even without direct sunlight. Whilst they are most effective on clear, sunny days, recent technological advancements mean they perform well on cloudy days too.

Annually, solar power generation is extremely reliable as the number of daylight hours can be predicted. Advances in machine learning make it possible to forecast energy generation (or yield) from a solar system. ‘

This response is drawn from the Appendix 2 of the UK Government’s Solar Roadmap, published in June 2025.

‘UK businesses and solar developers are expected to do everything in their power to remove any instances of forced labour from their supply chains Legislation and guidance are already in place to help businesses take action against modern slavery, however, the UK Government are working collaboratively across Whitehall on this important issue to see where we can go further.

While the supply chains for solar panels are complex and difficult to audit, the UK and European industry have worked together to establish the Solar Stewardship Initiative. Its mission is to work collaboratively with manufacturers, developers, installers and purchasers across the global solar value chain to foster responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of materials.’

This response is drawn from the Appendix 2 of the UK Government’s Solar Roadmap, published in June 2025.

‘As with all manufactured products, some greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, are emitted during the manufacturing of solar equipment. These include the panels themselves, as well as the cables, mounting systems, and batteries installed alongside them. However, producing energy with solar panels emits no pollution or greenhouse gases.

We can estimate how long it will take for the clean energy produced by the solar panels and auxiliary equipment to offset the fossil-fuel derived energy used in their manufacturing. This amount of time is called the ‘energy payback time’.

In the UK, the energy payback time is estimated to be currently around 1.5 years for an unshaded, south-facing roof using typical silicon solar panels produced in China. Solar panels typically come with a 25-30 year power warranty, and can produce power for many years beyond this. This means that over their lifetime, each panel will generate zero-carbon and zero-pollution electricity for more than 20 years after any polluting energy used in its production has been paid back. ‘

This response is drawn from the Appendix 2 of the UK Government’s Solar Roadmap, published in June 2025.

‘Whilst we are not aware of any specific reports examining the influence of UK solar farms on local property prices, there is no reason to anticipate a negative impact. Once operational, solar farms are well screened, and operate quietly, without emitting odours, pollution or causing traffic disruption.’

This response is drawn from the Appendix 2 of the UK Government’s Solar Roadmap, published in June 2025.