For those of us who live here, we know that Ryedale is an area dominated by beautiful countryside, home to farming communities who are reliant on the continued productivity of our agricultural land.
It’s for this reason that we are today asking for your support in signing a petition launched by the CPRE (The Countryside Charity) to protect our landscape and farmland from being used for ground-mounted solar developments:
SIGN THE ROOFTOP REVOLUTION PETITION HERE >>
The petition has just passed 16,000 signatures, but with the need for at least 20,000, there is still some way to go….
How Will This Petition Benefit You
Nobody can escape the energy challenges we face as a result of climate change, where an estimated 60% of our top-grade agricultural land is at risk of being lost due to the threat of flooding. The ongoing issues of energy supply also continue to force household bills to rise, making the cost of living an unmanageable prospect for many families in our area.
Despite the need to therefore decarbonise the UK electricity grid and bring some stability to the energy market, the government will not meet their proposed target set almost ten years ago for generating 20GW of solar energy by 2024. Current data shows that despite the urgent need for implementing a robust solar strategy, the UK’s current solar PV capacity is around 14GW, of which just 5GW is produced through solar installations on rooftops.
“Moving forward, the next proposed target is to generate 70GW of solar energy – a 5-fold increase on what is currently being produced – just 12 years from now, by 2035. The pressure the conservative government faces in achieving this goal is however stark, forcing unfavourable proposals for large-scale solar farms on high-grade agricultural land in our area, such as that on the Sturdy’s family farm in Old Malton,” explains Richard McLane, parliamentary candidate for the Green Party in Malton & Thirsk.
“Whilst the environmental need exists for mass-produced solar energy, this approach does not offer a long term or sustainable solution to the environmental emergency we encounter. To offer its true worth, a viable solar energy scheme must also consider the effect it has on the local economy, surrounding communities, wildlife and the landscape itself,” Richard continues.
The Rooftop Revolution petition launched by the CPRE is asking the government to prioritise that clean and affordable solar electricity is generated from the rooftops of new buildings and commercial property wherever possible. With your support, we will ensure the government’s target for solar energy can be realistically achieved, reducing carbon emissions long-term and bringing greater energy security; whilst preserving Ryedale’s landscape and its fertile soil for the cultivation of locally produced, high quality food.
Why Should Rooftop Solar Be Prioritised
Following a recent independent review commissioned by the CPRE, its findings confirm that without any rooftop solar installations and to meet the targets set for 2035 – 180,000 hectares of land would need to be covered with solar panels over the next 12 years – an area larger than the size of Greater London (157,000 hectares). Can we really afford to lose this land space?
In contrast, the report confirmed that that circa 65% of the solar energy that needs to be generated by 2035, can be produced through placing solar panels on the rooftops of commercial buildings and new homes alone. Whilst the use of buildings such as schools, railways, airports and hospitals offer further potential – the UK Warehousing Association reported that half of the UK’s need for solar power by 2030 (15GW) can be met by installing solar panels on just 20% of the currently available warehouse roof space.
Rooftops offer a vast and largely untapped resource for generating energy and resolving both the climate and cost of living crises we face. In fact longer term, the CPRE’s report states that by 2050 there is the potential to generate 117GW of low carbon, solar electricity from rooftop installations – removing any need for ground-mounted solar installations at all. Read the full report here >>
“The bare reality of this debate is that, despite its potential, there is still no support from the present government for solar energy installations. The conservative’s lack of commitment to creating a realistic solar framework is simply not acceptable. We each have a shared plight to combat climate change whilst also sustaining locally produced, high quality food, which in reality should be an achievable vision.”
All credit goes to the CPRE for their efforts in launching this rooftop solar campaign, causing us once again to question why our current government did not legislate years ago and demand that solar panels be installed on rooftops of all new buildings, as a bare minimum.
“Rooftop solar offers huge untapped capacity to meet our climate goals, and taking high-grade farmland out of food production does not offer a long-term sustainable outcome for our country.” concludes Richard.
Still Undecided?
If you are unsure whether this is a petition that you want to put your name to, please ask yourself…
- Do you have younger generations within your family who deserve a bright future?
- Would you like to see household bills and energy costs become more predictable?
- Are you connected with or do you know people who work within the agricultural sector?
- Do you feel that ground-mounted solar installations would impair the beauty of our natural landscape?
- Do you enjoy food that is locally and sustainably produced by British farmers?
If you have answered ‘Yes’ to any of the above, then we urge you to offer your signature today.
The outcome of this petition will impact on us all.
why not utilize roof tops …the ground panels also endangered birds….