Britain is rapidly installing more solar panels. Across the country, fields that once grew wheat, barley and vegetables are now covered with glass and silicon panels stretching to the hedgerows. The Government calls this a key part of its energy plan.

Developers claim solar is affordable and bound to happen. Planning authorities, under growing pressure to approve renewable projects, often struggle to refuse them. But the main question — whether large-scale solar truly suits the UK’s geography, climate and energy needs — is rarely explored in detail. When it is, the findings are worrying.

This argument is not opposed to solar energy itself. Instead, it asks for a clear look at what solar can and cannot do in a northern, Atlantic-facing country. Policies built on incomplete information can have lasting effects, even after the panels are removed.

Read more: The Case Against Industrial-Scale Solar in the UK