The energy minister is set to propose that four million solar panels, covering land the size of 3,400 football pitches, should be built on government land and property, including schools and prisons.
Greg Barker is expected to disclose plans for one gigawatt of electricity generated by solar panels on the “government estate”. It could mean huge solar farms on government land, as well as panels on thousands of public buildings.
In a speech earlier this month, Mr Barker said:
“We need to make the government itself a leader in solar deployment.
“Government public buildings should be at the forefront of the move to renewable energy.”
He added:
“So next year you can expect to hear more from me on my ambitious plans to ensure the government estate plays its part in the decentralised energy revolution. The government is sitting on huge potential; we need to do much more.”
The Solar Trade Association said that one gigawatt of solar would equate to about four million panels. Its land use estimates suggest that if these were deployed as solar farms it would require up to 6,000 acres of land – the equivalent of 3,400 football pitches. The Ministry of Defence is one of Britain’s largest landowners, creating the potential for solar farms to be built on its land. School and hospital roofs could also be potential sites.
Mr Barker has said his “ambition” is for Britain to have 22 gigawatts of solar power installed by 2020. But official government documents suggest that there would actually be far fewer farms, with between 2.4 GW and 4 GW of “large-scale” solar developments such as solar farms.
There is no fixed timetable for the implementation of Mr Barker’s plans, it is understood.
A Downing Street spokesman said:
“We said in the Coalition Agreement that we would take measures to improve energy efficiency in public sector buildings. We have already taken steps to achieve this in Downing Street and across the government estate and this work is ongoing.”