Page 381 - A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy Systems

388 A COmPrEhEnSIVE GuIdE TO SOLAr EnErGy SySTEmS

FIGURE 19.11 Wild flowers planted round a solar panel farm, Dorset, UK. Photo: B. Dower (all rights reserved).

benefit that can help to mitigate against the loss of arable land. however, this is not always
considered sufficient to compensate for the loss of the best and most versatile agricultural
land, and sites of lower agricultural quality are favored.

19.6 Concluding Remarks

As has been explored in this chapter, solar installations can have environmental effects
that will vary with site and location of the panels, ranging from significant impacts of
ground-mounted panels on areas of high ecological, cultural heritage, scenic, or agricul-
tural quality; to minimal impacts for panels located on industrial building roofs. Small-
scale and domestic solar installations are permitted developments in the uK, but larger
installations require an assessment of potential environmental effects. While effects can
be readily perceptible or subtle, localized or spread across kilometers of view, others may
not become apparent until several years after construction, with continued research
and monitoring of environmental change. The process of developing a solar installation
needs to include the identification of potential significant environmental effects, and to
address them through siting, design, and mitigation. For landscape and visual effects of
solar farms, the most effective form of mitigation is retention of hedged field boundar-
ies where possible. hedges have multiple benefits for solar farms, providing screening
(grown to a desired height but not overshadowing panels), reinforcing landscape pattern
and structure, and providing opportunities for ecological benefits. The loss of agricultural