Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Large-scale Solar Farms 2026-07-07

Tuesday 7 July 2026 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Solar power is one of the cheapest sources of energy available to the UK, with nearly 6 GW of solar power consented since the current government took office.
  • The Energy Minister has met the National Fire Chiefs Council to address concerns over the safety of battery energy storage systems used with large-scale solar farms.
  • The current government's renewables auctions have resulted in enough power to supply the equivalent of 23 million homes, which is significantly cheaper than building new gas-fired power stations.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Bool Con
Climate Energy
Context

Discussion about recent developments in large-scale solar farm projects and their approval process.

Question

What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the development of large-scale solar farms?

Answer from Ed Miliband

Solar power is one of the cheapest sources of energy available to us. I am proud that we have consented nearly 6 GW of solar power since this Government came into office—around six times the amount that the previous Government consented. This year has seen record solar power, generating around 20 TWh of electricity and providing around 7% of the total electricity generated. If we want lower energy bills, new solar is an essential part of making that happen.

Answered
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Q2 Sarah Bool Con
Energy Environment
Context

Concerns about the safety of battery energy storage systems required for large-scale solar schemes, noting other countries are implementing stricter regulations.

Question

These large solar schemes will need battery energy storage systems, but there are growing concerns about the safety of these systems. Other countries are looking at more prescriptions, whether through more regulation or technical parameters, such as size, but we in this country just rely on guidance. Will the Secretary of State consider pausing any approvals of further solar schemes until we have some proper regulation in place that meets safety requirements?

Answer from Ed Miliband

No, we are not going to pause our development of solar power—it is essential to get bills down for families and get us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuels. We take safety incredibly seriously; the Energy Minister has met the National Fire Chiefs Council and is working assiduously on these issues.

Partly answered

Not addressed: paused approvals until proper regulation in place

How: We Are Not Going To Pause

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Q3 Toby Perkins Lab Chesterfield
Climate Energy
Context

Discussion about past fiascos and current progress in boosting renewable energy, with emphasis on criticism towards those undermining government efforts.

Question

My right hon. Friend took office shortly after the fiasco of the contracts for difference auction under the previous Government, which did not get a single megawatt of new energy proposed. Since then, we have had tremendous success in boosting the amount of renewable energy, and this country is making tremendous progress. We are moving forward, but what does my right hon. Friend say to people like the shadow Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for East Surrey (Claire Coutinho), who is constantly attempting to undermine the moves this Government are making to decarbonise the grid? Should we not all be celebrating the fact that the industry supports the steps that the Government are taking?

Answer from Ed Miliband

I agree with my hon. Friend. He puts it very well. Our renewables auctions have resulted in enough power to power the equivalent of 23 million homes. That is significantly cheaper than building new gas-fired power stations, which is what the shadow Secretary of State wants to do; I am old enough to remember when she was in favour of clean energy—but never mind.

Answered
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Q4 Greg Smith Con
Energy Agriculture & Rural Affairs Environment
Context

Discrepancies between government claims about solar farm land usage (1%) and actual figures in the land use framework (9%). Question highlights inconsistency.

Question

Ministers have consistently been trying to argue that solar needs 1% of agricultural land, yet in a spectacular display of disjointed Government, their own land use framework talks about 9% of our agricultural land being taken out of food production for environmental schemes. At the same time—[Interruption.]

Answer from Ed Miliband

What is he on, Mr Speaker? To be clear, even in the most ambitious scenarios, our plans for solar in 2030 would use 0.6% of agricultural land; I am happy to repeat that. The wider issue is that the Conservatives complain about energy bills, and energy bills are too high, but we have the cheapest form of power available—solar power—and they say no to it.

Not addressed: land usage discrepancy between solar farms and environmental schemes

How: What Is He On, Conservatives Complain About Energy Bills

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