Derbyshire is becoming a hotbed for large‐scale solar farms and battery storage projects. Here’s how the landscape—and the debate—are evolving.
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What’s Going Up Where?
• Oaklands Farm Solar Park, South Derbyshire: A massive solar and battery storage complex is set to span 400 acres, generating 138 MW of solar power and housing 37.5 MW of energy storage. Approved via a Development Consent Order, it offers £55,000 in annual community benefit, plus a 125% biodiversity net gain—with hedgerow planting, sheep grazing, and new walking paths included.
• Langer Lane Solar Park, Wingerworth (near Chesterfield): A more modest 7.5 MW project on around 24 acres—but still impactful. It’s designed to power nearly 4,000 homes and promises wildflower meadows, hedgerows, and biodiversity improvements, alongside a 40-year operational life. Planning permission was granted in Spring 2025.
• Hawthorn Farm Solar Farm: Currently in pre-construction as a 10 MW photovoltaic project.
• Denby (Amber Valley): Proposals for a solar farm plus battery energy storage on protected Green Belt land near Denby have met strong resistance from CPRE Derbyshire, who argue the project would industrialize open countryside, erode settlement buffers, and violate planning policy.
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Public Sentiment—Split Right Down the Middle
On one hand, many welcome the benefits. Proponents highlight clean energy, local jobs during construction, and ecological enhancements like hedgerows, wildflower areas, and grazing where sheep can thrive alongside panels.
On the other, there’s fierce opposition, particularly when developments invade prime countryside or Green Belt. Critics—including CPRE Derbyshire—say these projects undermine agricultural land, rural character, and long-term food security, and often lack genuine community consultation.
The debate mirrors national tensions over solar expansion. In places like Lincolnshire, residents fear rural landscapes are being scarred for energy needs that offer limited local benefits. Reform UK and others are voicing growing discontent, arguing for smarter alternatives like rooftop solar and brownfield development.
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Is Derbyshire at a Crossroads?
This isn’t just about green energy—it’s about how we balance progress with preservation. Do we want clean power generation to march across our fields, or would we rather see innovation focused on brownfield sites, rooftops, and maintaining the countryside’s beauty?
Let us know what you think:
• Are solar farms like Oaklands and Langer Lane “worth it” for the sake of cleaner energy?
• Or are they a landscape sacrifice too far for Derbyshire’s heritage and agriculture?
• What’s the right path forward for renewable energy in our county?
Your voice matters.
Karen Harrison
I do not agree with solar panels on fields. We should be using fields and supporting farmers to grow our own crops and stop importing so much. If panels were fixed on new builds people would get free electricity from them – any extra is usually sold back to the grid but I believe we don’t have the infrastructure to support this? When I queried this with Nigel Mills MP at the time, he responded that it was too problematic for the builders. We are so backward in our thinking it’s infuriating.