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Solar and the rural community

Date
Wed, 16 Oct 2024 | 17:00 - 19:00
Location
Leonard Wolfson Auditorium
Speakers
Professor Nick Eyre (University of Oxford), Rebecca Pullinger (The Wildlife Trusts), Tim Bonner (Countryside Alliance), Mark Owen-Lloyd (Photovolt Development Partners), Dr Emily Connally (Cherwell Collective), Dr Jonathan Scurlock (National Farmers’ Union)
Event Price
Free
Booking Required
Recommended

The UK goal of net zero by 2050 will require a rewiring of the energy network on a scale not seen since the industrial revolution. The new government has set the target of 50GW of solar power by 2030, tripling the UK’s current capacity. Residential and rooftop solar alone will be insufficient if we are to meet those ambitious targets, meaning that ground-mounted, utility scale solar developments on rural land will be a vital piece of the puzzle.

Inevitably, much of this will come from solar farms of varying scale, which by their nature are almost exclusively sited in the countryside. How, therefore, does Britain marry the needs and concerns of rural communities with the national necessity to decarbonise the power grid? This panel discussion of experts will seek to delve into this issue and explore possible solutions to a delicate balancing act.