Transforming our farmland into housing triggers a predictable reaction – but it seems that knee-jerk opposition can equally be applied when it comes to solar farms.

From being a blot on the landscape to the loss of agricultural land for crops, the complaints are frequent and familiar.

But while there is clearly a need, as a nation, to embrace and move towards more renewable sources of energy, do we have to lose so many of the fields for which Kent is so famous, in the process?

Or should we, instead, be focusing on transforming roof space – especially on rural industrial buildings – for solar, thus leaving our fields unblemished?

Certainly, it’s hard for many solar farm proposals going in front of local authority planning committees not to be drowned out by loudly-shouting critics.

Proposals for a 400-acre site in Aldington – between Ashford and Folkestone – recently were criticised for their impact on neighbouring property prices.

Local resident Matthew Ryde warned: “The development would have a huge impact on how people enjoy walking around the countryside. It will change people’s view of the village and the enticement of wanting to live there, and will subsequently impact house prices in a negative way.”

And Aldington is far from alone from dissenting voices.

The Cleve Hill Solar Park – between Faversham and Whitstable – will be the UK’s biggest with a staggering 880,000 panels spread across 890 acres. The biggest concern among those opposed to it is over the risk of a “catastrophic” incident in the battery storage section of the development.

Meanwhile, a flurry of solar parks around Paddock Wood and Staplehurst left one resident, Sarah Springhall, to reflect: "The low Weald is becoming a checkerboard of industry and glass panels, destroying the rural landscape."

And it is likely to be only the tip of a growing iceberg as the nation races to hit government targets for the introduction of sustainable energy. A recent report suggested farmland the equivalent to 40,000 football pitches across the south of England could be turned into industrial solar farms to help boost energy production close to London.

Already, there are plans for a 152-acre solar farm in Borden, near Sittingbourne, a 40-acre site in Cranbrook, a 72-acre site near Dover, 55-acres in Postling, near Hythe, a 45-acre site in Offham and a large Kent County Council-funded project in nearby West Malling. To name but a few.

So why are so many farmers and landowners opting to give over such large swathes of land to the gleaming panels which absorb the sunshine and turn it into electricity?

Tim Bamford is the South East regional director for the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) which represents farmers, landowners and rural businesses.

He explains: “We support farmers to use their land to provide the things society needs – food, habitats, timber, fuel, nature, public access and more – and in a climate crisis, this includes renewable power.

“We have to transition away from fossil fuels to a future driven by renewable energy. Some will be offshore wind but some will also be on rural land and could be solar, wind or hydropower, and landowners are in a position to help provide these solutions.”

“Solar is the cheapest form of all power in the country right now,” explains Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, the trade association which represents the entire solar and energy storage sector. “So the more we have will drive down consumer bills across the county.

“The other thing is that it’s good for the rural economy. Food production is very cyclical and quite volatile. Solar provides a strong and secure revenue stream.

“What we’re actually finding with some of these farms is that it helps underpin their agricultural business. In some situations, it is what keeps them afloat.”

The financial returns can be significant. A standard contract for one acre of farmland in the South East – according to the Leaseyourland.co.uk website – is around £1,000 per acre per annum. And given the standard contract will stretch to around 40 years, that’s a significant guaranteed income to the landowner. Especially as, more often than not, the land used for such developments tends to be lower-grade agricultural land.

It may also provide the landowner with the sort of income to make them think twice about ushering in the housing developers. It does, rather obviously, depend on the amount of sunlight the area is likely to capture and the surrounding infrastructure.

Adds Chris Hewett: “By leasing the land, it makes it far less likely to be sold and the land can then be returned to agricultural use in the future or, indeed, integrated with it. You’ll see plenty of solar farms which have sheep grazing, for example.

“If it’s sold off for housing, then it’s developed and it’s built on. Solar is effectively a temporary, albeit long-term, use of that land.”

But, says the deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Tom Bradshaw, agricultural needs must come first.

“Renewable energy production is a core part of the NFU’s net zero plan and solar projects often offer a good diversification option for farmers,” Mr Bradshaw said.

“However, there is a need to strike a balance between food security and climate ambitions.

“Planning guidance states that, wherever possible, large-scale solar farm development should be located on lower quality agricultural land, avoiding the most productive and versatile soils. Utilising roofs and farm buildings for solar should also be incentivised as it delivers a sustainable method of energy production while avoiding any land use conflict.”

Which is a fair point. But not without its challenges.

“A big industrial rooftop might be providing a few megawatts at most,” says Chris Hewett, “whereas a solar farm would be producing tens of megawatts at least and potentially hundreds.

“If there's a rooftop development, whether it is a house or a factory, that primarily reduces the energy bill of that building. Solar and wind farms drive down the price across the entire economy so everyone's bills come down.”

Solar Energy UK admits it would “love to see more” utilisation of industrial roofspace but adds there’s another practical point worthy of factoring in.

It adds: “In many parts of the country, large rooftop installations cannot be made as they are unable to connect to the grid – the infrastructure just isn’t up to the job and waiting times can be frighteningly long.”

In other words, how do you take the power generated and pump it into the National Grid so we can all take advantage? This is why many sites will be in close proximity to a sub-station with spare capacity. Otherwise, the wait can be up to 15 years.

But while we should all applaud the push for cheaper, sustainable energy sources, it still comes with some short-term pain for those in Kent.

The CLA’s Tim Bamford stresses it is down to local authorities to make the right decision for their communities.

He added: “The planning system is there to make decisions by weighing the pros and cons, benefits and impacts. Planning policy guides solar away from designated landscapes and the best agricultural land, but trade-offs have to be made sometimes and that’s the job of the planning system.

“Particularly valuable or sensitive areas can be removed from proposals, and screening can be used which benefits wildlife and mitigates impact on amenity or landscape.

“Rural landowners are interested in solar at smaller scales, where they can self-supply their own needs and insulate their businesses from volatile electricity prices at a time when direct agricultural support is being removed. At a larger scale it can be a valuable diversified income, helping to future proof their business and keep farming operations viable.”

There’s also an issue that not all the ambitious, and large, solar farms being proposed in Kent and elsewhere will actually materialise.

In what have been dubbed ‘zombie’ schemes – planning permission is secured and a place in the long queue for a connection secured, but little work actually takes place.

At the end of November, energy regulator Ofgem confirmed it would be taking steps to eradicate them.

Eleanor Warburton, Ofgem’s deputy director for institutions for net zero energy systems management and security said: “The transition to net zero demands urgent changes to the electricity connections system – or we cannot unlock investment, speed up network build and accelerate new technology.

“This is a big step towards phasing out the first-come first-served queuing system. We want new power on the grid as quickly as possible, so if you’re ready, you can connect sooner. If you’re not ready and are blocking the progress of others, you’ll be removed – you can’t sit on the queue with no consequences.”

Solar is likely to only increase. Currently, the amount of power it generates is dwarfed by hydro and on- and off-shore wind farms. To achieve national power generation targets – and ease our reliance on fossil fuels – we may have to all get used to our fields being transformed.