Latest News

Why A Constrained National Grid Can Offer Landowners And Energy Users New Clean Energy Opportunities

01 • 06 • 26

Historically, solar development in the UK has largely followed one model: secure land, obtain planning permission, connect to the grid, and export electricity into the wider energy network. But increasingly, that model is running into the challenge of grid congestion, with connection queues now stretching well into the 2030s. For many landowners considering renewable energy...

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Time Is Running Out on New Grid Applications

27 • 01 • 26

Reforms to the National Grid application process mean time is of the essence for those seeking a connection between 2030–35, with the application window closing in July 2026. To overcome Grid connection queues and project delays, the government and the National Energy System Operator began reforming the process last year. There are now two dated...

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Solar and Game Management: A Balanced Future for Land and Wildlife

09 • 12 • 25

Solar is often presented as a southern England success story, where higher levels of irradiance make large-scale generation straightforward. But with technology evolving rapidly, land from Carmarthenshire to Caithness is proving suitable for solar development. For estates in Wales and Scotland, where game management and conservation are not only important to the countryside economy, but...

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Securing the Future: How UK Farmers & Estate Owners Can Lease Land for Solar & Battery Projects

15 • 08 • 25

UK farmers continue to endure sustained financial pressure on their businesses. In the year 2023-24, Farm Business Income (FBI) across all UK farm types declined sharply: cereal farms saw a 73% drop, general cropping fell by 24%, and dairy operations plummeted by 68% compared to the previous year. While forecasts for 2024/25 indicate some recovery, with...

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Launch of The 2025 Solar Habitat Report

28 • 04 • 25

Members of the ILOS Team were delighted to attend the Solar Energy UK Parliamentary Reception on Tuesday 22nd April to launch Solar Habitat 2025.  We heard from Ed Morello MP who opened the reception and Chris Hewitt, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, who updated us on the progress of solar in the UK.  So...

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Public Support For Solar Is Growing – But So Is The Need To Showcase Its Benefits

03 • 04 • 25

Recent findings from a Solar Energy UK report examining public attitudes to utility scale project development suggest that, while overall support for solar projects is steadily increasing, there are still some areas where this support wavers. This is no small matter for developers and planners. With the UK Government’s ambition to triple solar generation by...

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The UK’s Solar Surge: Balancing Large-Scale Growth with Local Sensitivities

07 • 02 • 25

The UK is racing towards an ambitious clean energy future, with the government targeting 47 Gigawatts of solar capacity by 2030 and 85GW by 2050. This rapid expansion forms a key part of the UK’s broader decarbonisation strategy, designed to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, enhance energy security and support the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate...

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The Solar Debate: Why Renewables and Food Security Can Coexist

20 • 01 • 25

The UK urgently needs to transition to renewable energy to meet its ambitious net-zero targets. Solar energy, in particular, offers a cost-effective and rapidly deployable solution to decarbonise the electricity sector and support the government’s goals for nearly 100% clean power by 2030 and Net Zero by 2050. However, as larger solar projects are slated...

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Steady Incomes, Biodiversity and Food Security

19 • 12 • 24

We are excited to share a new film commissioned by Solar UK, featuring one of our projects, Fossil Farm in Dorset. “Empowering Farmers with Solar Energy”, highlights the significant role solar energy plays in British agriculture, showcasing how solar farms are not only providing steady incomes and enhancing biodiversity but also supporting food security across...

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How Solar Projects Can Help UK Farmers Reduce Inheritance Tax Liabilities

02 • 12 • 24

The agricultural sector in the UK has been significantly impacted by the recent changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) rules, announced by the Chancellor in October 2024. For many farming families, passing land and assets down through generations has long been a tradition. But new rules introduced in the October 2024 budget that reduce Agricultural Property...

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