The announcement that government is seeking to curb the extent of agricultural land that Solar Farms can be built on neatly highlights the point that we have recently made here:
The media storm indicates that the decision is borne out of a desire to fill fields with produce, not solar panels. Whatever the reason, the private sector has already invested billions in delivering green energy, at the government's instigation and is likely to be alarmed.
The government increasingly relies on the private sector to fund the delivery of public benefits, houses, roads, cheaper, cleaner energy to name a few. A change like this could undermine the willingness of landowners and developers to commit time, money and land to green energy.
People may not love having solar farms next door, but the fact is that they form part of a bigger energy and environmental picture.
The British countryside involves a complicated balance of competing interests that requires a long term vision. Government policy must respect that and unexpected surprises are unwelcome.
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