UK Tories Push for Floating Solar on Reservoirs to Boost Energy and Food Security

Senior Conservative politicians in the UK are calling for relaxed planning regulations to enable the installation of solar panels on reservoirs, arguing this would preserve agricultural land for food production while enhancing energy and water security. Over 20 MPs and peers have signed a letter urging the government to ease red tape for constructing floating solar arrays on more than 570 man-made lakes.

Currently, water utilities can install floating solar panels on reservoirs under Permitted Development Rights (PDR) only if the electricity generated is for on-site use. Commercial export to the National Grid necessitates navigating a full planning system, which can be time-consuming and costly.

Proponents of the change suggest that deploying solar infrastructure on water bodies would allow for continued growth in solar power generation without sacrificing arable land. Additionally, they argue that the panels would help conserve water by reducing evaporation and mitigate the growth of harmful algae.

Spelthorne MP Lincoln Jopp highlighted the potential benefits, stating, "Given the intense heatwaves and droughts our country has faced recently, floating solar should be seen as a common-sense solution to bolstering our nation's energy, food, and water security." He criticized the UK's slow adoption of floating solar compared to European countries and pointed out the counterproductive nature of preventing electricity generated on reservoirs from being sold to the grid. Jopp also described it as "nonsensical" not to extend PDR to these projects.

The signatories, including shadow ministers Richard Holden, Robbie Moore, and Alicia Kearns, along with former environment secretary Baroness Coffey, propose extending PDR not only to reservoirs but also to other man-made water bodies like disused quarries and docks.

In their letter to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, they emphasized the need to balance clean energy infrastructure development with food security. "Floating solar can help to strike the balance of delivering energy security alongside food security," the letter states. The technology is also seen as beneficial for water supply by reducing evaporation and preventing algal blooms, with the added advantage of having a lower visual impact than many land-based energy developments.

Earlier this year, a report supported by Labour ministers suggested that floating solar could power a city the size of Birmingham by the end of the decade and potentially match the output of all UK offshore wind by 2050. The report, by CBI Economics for solar operator Bluefield, projects that with government backing, floating solar could cover 30% of the UK's water utility and other man-made water bodies by mid-century.