Farms with benefits

Ed Miliband’s recent round of speeches at the Energy UK and Labour conferences gave a bracing roundup of his achievements since taking office. Removing the ban on onshore wind in England and clearing the backlog of decisions on large solar farms were arguably the easy first steps – but it has nonetheless been refreshing to see a Secretary of State clearly and confidently articulate the need for new renewables.

A challenge Mr. Miliband will need to address shortly is how to persuade communities to accept new renewable generation and grid infrastructure near them. His department has made it clear that direct benefits to communities are a priority, recently stating that "where communities live near clean energy infrastructure, they should benefit directly from it."

Considering this, the reaction to reports that the solar industry is working with the government to develop a community benefits framework is telling. Responses from councillors in parts of Lincolnshire, which hosts a number of the solar projects consented since Labour came to power, range from calls for any funding to be significant in scale, to outright scepticism. There is a clear gap between community expectations and what any forthcoming framework is likely to offer.

The government and industry will need to bridge this gap if the framework is to have any meaningful impact on the acceptability of projects on the ground. Involving communities in areas where available grid capacity means solar or other renewables are likely to be developed is an obvious step in creating a framework that resonates locally.

Limiting discussions to government and industry alone might ensure any proposal is feasible, but it risks overlooking the crucial dimension of what will be genuinely welcomed on the ground. The solar industry should strongly consider engaging with local authorities and communities to understand their needs and expectations, shaping a more effective framework in the process.

The positive reception of Holtec’s plans to open a factory for small modular reactors in South Yorkshire points to another possibility. The creation of 3,000 jobs over 20 years has clearly played a major role in the warm reception given to the news by the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard. Offshore wind has similarly attracted community and stakeholder support where the supply chain is localised within the UK.

Solar, however, struggles to make the same case when it comes to job creation. Once built, solar farms require limited maintenance, which is advantageous for neighbours but means fewer long-term jobs are involved. Nonetheless, solar can still have a positive socioeconomic impact—particularly when projects are considered collectively across a region rather than in isolation. Better articulating these regional benefits could go a long way toward building local support for future developments.