The energy industry expects more plans to emerge to convert countryside into solar farms after the government pledged to treble the UK’s capacity to generate solar power over the next five years.
Critics say they will harm rural settings, but others say they are a necessary part of battling human-driven climate change.
According to the Planning Inspectorate, there are developed plans for 10 large solar farms across the East of England and Northamptonshire.
Chris Hewett, the chief executive of Solar Energy UK, said he expected the area to see more proposals over the next decade, after which development would “plateau”.
At the Green Parrot cafe in Swaffham, Norfolk, manager Lorraine Tidnam said solar was discussed “quite a bit”, especially with the “more political customers”, after plans to build two large solar farms near the town were announced.
The Droves solar farm, between Swaffham and Castle Acre, aims to generate 500 megawatts (MW) of electricity and involves an area of 2,790 acres.
The High Grove solar farm could generate 720 MW and is about 4,000 acres spread over five sites around RAF Marham, Swaffham and Dereham.
Mrs Tidnam, 53, said: “The fear is that it’s going to just change the environment – how it looks, the aesthetics of the countryside – forever.”
Her colleague, 23-year-old Lana Lacey, supports the idea of generating power with solar panels but said “they’re hard to look at”.
“I just think maybe there’s better ways to get energy to save the environment, without polluting it with the solar panels,” she added.
Read more: BBC