UK approves second-largest solar farm project

10 July 2026

The government has approved a 740-megawatt solar farm, the country’s second-largest project to receive planning consent, as the expansion of renewable energy capacity continues.

One Earth Solar Farm has been granted approval and will contribute more than 1% of the solar capacity target set out in the government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, according to industry body Solar Energy UK.

The project is being led by Solar Energy UK members PS Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.

The approval follows recent government decisions on two other solar developments: the 320MW Peartree Solar Farm north of Hull and the 150MW Dean Moor Solar Farm in Cumbria. Together, the three projects are expected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 330,000 homes.

The largest solar project to have received planning consent in the UK so far is the 800MW Springwell Solar Farm in Lincolnshire. Four larger projects have also been submitted for approval.

Solar Energy UK chief executive Chris Hewett says:

“Solar power at scale means cheap, clean, homegrown power, insulated from the global instability that has caused energy prices to rocket. Solar farms offer the cheapest power available – and the larger they are, the bigger the economies of scale.”

The solar industry estimates that around 26 gigawatts of solar generation capacity is currently installed across the UK, with additional capacity being added each year.

More than 1.7 million UK homes have solar panels installed, while the wider solar sector supports around 20,000 jobs and contributes almost £1.9 billion annually to the economy, measured by gross value added, according to Solar Energy UK.