A new survey undertaken by consultant Cornwall Insight has found that two-thirds of renewable energy projects in the UK are rejected at planning stage.
Between 2018 and 2023 there were 4,000 applications for wind and solar projects made, but 63% of these were abandoned, rejected or saw building permits expire, at the planning stage.
Whilst there has been a rapid increase in the overall number of renewables applications, their approval rates remain low.
Part of this is due to the developers, as developers often submit more plans than they know will be approved. This increase in 'phantom projects' sees developers submit multiple applications for many sites, as the developers expect only a few to connect.
There are concerns over the pace of renewable energy development in the UK and it is hoped that streamlining the grid connections process and addressing speculative applications by developers will be crucial in ensuring a more efficient and successful path forward for renewable energy projects.
Head of resources and infrastructure at Cornwall Insight, who undertook this survey, Lucy Dolton, commented: "The UK has set ambitious targets to increase renewable energy capacity. However, these data reveal a substantial shortfall in achieving these goals, something that is largely caused by the slow pace of progress in building renewable energy projects."
"It's clear that an increasing number of the applications submitted are speculative, raising the numbers in the connections queue, and creating obstacles for projects that are mostly ready to connect. It is positive to see the work being undertaken across industry regarding reforming the connections process, addressing grid congestion for both new projects and the existing connection queue. The scale of the challenge is significant, but timely and measured changes will be key for maintaining momentum in the deployment of renewables across the UK."
