Map of Staffordshire solar farms

There are many applications for large-scale solar farms and battery energy storage facilities (BESS) in Staffordshire’s countryside, affecting the Green Belt and farmland. This has impacts for our landscapes (particularly when there are multiple solar farms sited in close proximity to each other), habitats, and our ability to grow our own food. Our new interactive map shows just how many solar power plants and battery storage facilities we have already – and how many more could be on the way.

How to use the map

You can zoom in and out using  + and –

Click the double arrows on the top left corner of the map to see the legend.

You can click on each marker on the map to find details of each solar or BESS application, its size, how much energy it will generate and its planning status. If you want to look up a specific planning application, click on the marker and then copy the reference number found in the planning hyperlink column. You can use this reference number to look up the application on the relevant local council’s planning portal.

Thank you to Charlie Walthall, our placement student from Keele University, for compiling the data to produce this map.

We need renewable energy

Of course we do – we’re in a climate emergency – but we also need our countryside! We need it for food security, nature recovery and other climate mitigation measures such as tree and hedgerow planting. Our green spaces are vital for the health and wellbeing of people and wildlife.

A series of crises in recent years, including energy security, food security, climate change, nature recovery and housing, are placing the countryside under intense pressure.

We need a rooftop revolution

Generating renewable energy doesn’t have to be at the expense of our countryside. Charlie Walthall’s Hotspots for Rooftop Solar report showcases some of the potential sites for rooftop solar in Staffordshire.

Nationally, CPRE’s research shows that our rooftops can provide over half of our solar energy targets. Installing solar panels on existing buildings and car parks would enjoy near-universal public support and help minimise objections to large solar farms in the countryside.

If you agree, please sign our petition calling on the government to set a national rooftop solar target of at least 40GW by 2035.

Sign our petition