Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of whether solar panels, mounting systems and associated infrastructure can be removed without causing damage to agricultural land.

Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) and the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy (EN-3) provide decommissioning guidance for large scale projects deploying under the Nationally Significant Project Regime. EN-3 states that solar panels can be decommissioned relatively easily and cheaply, although the extent of decommissioning a site goes through can vary.

Where projects are sited on agricultural land, developers are encouraged to develop and implement a Soil Resources and Management Plan to protect and preserve soil health and ensure the land remains productive for farming after the solar farm is decommissioned.