However, planning policy in England generally favours using poorer-quality farmland rather than the most productive land where a solar development is necessary.
Solar panels sat on 52,400 acres of land across the UK in September 2024, including on agricultural sites which are productively used for conventional farming activity.
Critics have called for developers to prioritise rooftops, car parks, industrial sites and poorer-quality farmland amid concerns about food security.
But a landowner who agrees to let a solar energy company use 100 acres of their land could pocket between £85,000 and £120,000 per year in rent.
