Solar and battery energy storage systems see rapid growth in Hertfordshire

1,044 hectares of green fields – the equivalent of about 1,600 football pitches – in the Hertfordshire countryside is either already lost or at risk of loss to commercial scale mega solar farms and battery energy storage systems (BESS).

We recently analysed the extent of solar farm and BESS land-coverage across the Hertfordshire countryside.

Ground-mounted solar in Hertfordshire today

We’ve found that, as of January 2026, 15 commercial scale solar farms and BESS installations have been granted planning permission, covering a total of 498 hectares of open countryside. Over 50% (8 out of 15 sites) are within the Green Belt.

Another 14 of these projects are currently pending at various stages of the planning process. These cover another 546 hectares of open countryside, and 9 of the 14 sites are within the Green Belt.

This totals 29 projects covering 1,044 hectares (or 2,580 acres, or about 1,600 football pitches) of green fields in the Hertfordshire countryside that are already covered – or are currently at risk of being covered – by solar farms and BESS.

To be clear, this means huge expanses of land covered in glass and steel panels along with battery storage containers, inverter / transformer stations, switchgear and storage buildings, and tall steel perimeter fencing with security cameras. We think this industrialisation of the countryside is completely unacceptable.

There is some good news, in that 7 mega solar farms and/or BESS projects covering 293 hectares have been refused permission, or were dismissed at appeal, or the applicant has withdrawn the planning application.  Of these, 6 were in the Green Belt, and of these 6, one was also in the Chilterns National Landscape and another was in the setting of the Chilterns National Landscape. At least so far, the National Landscape within Hertfordshire is untouched by the surge in ground-mounted solar and BESS.

CPRE Hertfordshire’s position on renewable energy

Here at CPRE Hertfordshire we are all for renewable energy. But we want to see solar panels on commercial and residential rooftops, and on canopies over carparks as required by law in France, not on the ground in the countryside where they –

• industrialise the landscape with obtrusive glass and steel construction;
• take agricultural land out of food production thereby increasing the UK’s reliance on food imports;
• cause harm to recreational amenity as most sites are crossed by highly valued public rights of way, and no one wants to take a walk through a field of glass and steel; and
• cause harm to wildlife – hares, deer, red kites, owls, lapwings, sky larks, bats and pollinating insects would all have their habitats compromised by an ocean of glass panels and a wall of metal fencing. Birds can be injured by mistaking the glass panels for water. Small mammals can be harmed or killed if they become trapped in the fencing. And pollinating insects would struggle because there is too much shade under the panels for sun-loving wildflowers to thrive.

The trade association for the solar industry, Solar Energy UK, has estimated that there are more than 617,000 acres of suitable, south-facing commercial rooftops available for solar panels. And the global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield estimates that there are over 1.5 billion square feet of rooftop space on industrial buildings available for solar power generation.

We believe there is enough commercial rooftop space for up to 50GW of power generation, which is a large proportion of the government’s solar target. We want to see these rooftops fully utilised for solar energy before building ground-mounted solar farms in the countryside.

Unfortunately, it appears the growth in ground-mounted solar installations in Hertfordshire – and across England – is far ahead of that on rooftops.

What are we doing about this, and what can you do?

We campaign for rooftop solar and against ground-mounted solar. On our main solar webpage you can read details of our policy on solar and see our solar and BESS inventory of projects across Hertfordshire.

Once we hear about a proposal, we make people aware via our digital media. You can follow us on Facebook here, or Instagram here, to receive the latest updates. At the pre application stage, we express our concerns to the developer and advise local people and groups to do the same. We then defend the countryside through the formal planning process via our representations to the local planning authority and our participation at planning appeal hearings.

We also provide bespoke planning and campaigning advice to local people who become members of CPRE Hertfordshire, and we encourage everyone to join us. We are a membership charity and depend upon the income from membership subscriptions. Please join us – it’s easy and quick to join online.