If you follow PS Solar, you know PS Renewables keeps the UK renewable energy scene busy, and I find its story worth following. This British developer builds solar park sites and often pairs them with energy storage. On Thursday, the team won approval for a 20.2-MW site in Lincolnshire, a county in England that keeps attracting every new solar project.
Just before that, the company took a 34MW plan through an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, and the inspector gave it planning permission. Another council granted permission for the smaller site, clearing the path for construction to begin. Both wins show how PS Solar moves a solar PV power plant from idea to reality when the site suits the area.
Now the PS Solar story moves south. EDF, a utility and power firm, joined PS Renewables and announced plans for a new solar scheme in Kent.
PS Solar: Lincolnshire To Become A Solar PV Hotspot
Lincolnshire has become the county everyone talks about, and the reasons are easy to see for anyone who follows PS Solar. The flatness of the land and the sunshine make it an ideal location for solar development. Last week, on 24 January, the DESNZ, short for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, handed out development consent orders for two nationally significant infrastructure projects. People now call these big schemes NSIPs, and the term appears in almost every planning debate.
Island Green Power leads the West Burton Solar PV power plant, a 480MW scheme that crosses the county border into Nottinghamshire. It spreads across three sites and covers 788 hectares. Ecotricity runs the Heckington Fen project, a 500MW solar PV power plant on more than 500 hectares.
It comes with a co-located 200-400MW battery energy storage system, or BESS, to store the power. At the end of last year, Ecotricity saw its DCO decision delayed because the team had to negotiate further with the landowners. Since then, the government approved both schemes, and the developers now hold their DCOs.
UK solar NSIPs on the rise
More schemes wait in the pipeline. The county’s list holds seven other solar NSIP projects that could cover over 30,000 acres, and each solar NSIP needs its own DCO. Earlier this year, the planning inspectorate took in a DCO application from EDF Renewables for the 800MW Springwell Solar Farm. If it wins approval, this solar farm will cover 1,280 hectares.
Across the UK, more of these big schemes keep showing up, and PS Solar sits behind several of them. EDF Renewables and PS Renewables opened a second consultation last year for the Rosefield Solar Farm, a solar-plus-storage plan between Buckinghamshire and Aylesbury.
The team secured a grid connection agreement with National Grid, which allows the export of electricity of up to 500MW. In March, PS Renewables got its 740MW One Earth Solar Farm accepted for examination. This joint project with Ørsted targets a commercial operation date before 2030, and it could become one of the largest commercial solar PV power plants in the country.
Church Lane Planning Refusal
The Church Lane Solar Farm shows how tough a planning fight can get. This 34MW plan sits on 42 hectares near Welby. In July 2024, South Kesteven District Council refused it because of the temporary loss of 27.5 acres of Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land, or BMVAL. The local planning authority felt the public benefits would not outweigh the harm to agricultural land.
Successful Appeal and Inspector’s Ruling
PS Renewables then filed an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate, and it called the land use negligible in the local, regional and national context. The company argued the plan poses no risk to food security, a worry that filled many public objections.
The Inspector agreed. The height and angle of solar panels let grass growth and sheep grazing continue across a 40-year operational lifespan. The Inspector also weighed the impact on the wider agricultural resource against the benefits, and put the higher-grade land in context. On top of that, the Inspector saw economic gains and a biodiversity net gain of 58.94% for habitat units and 21.66% for hedgerow units.
Planning Conditions and Company Outlook
The team walked away with planning permission granted, though several conditions apply. Construction must commence within three years, and the company must send written confirmation of the first export of electricity within 20 days.
It must finish all biodiversity improvements by the first planting season, and it must submit public highway improvements to the local planning office before work starts. James Walker, a senior planning manager at PS Renewables, sees an encouraging trend in appeal decisions, and he hopes it reaches Local Planning Authorities and Planning Committees.
Smooth Approval for Sand Lane
Sand Lane went far more smoothly for PS Solar. North Lincolnshire Council and West Lindsey District Council both greenlit the 20.2-MW Sand Lane Solar Farm. Walker calls it a good location because of limited public objection and support from statutory consultees. This photovoltaic farm will sit near the village of Manton on 77 acres and power about 7,500 homes per year.
South Brooks Solar Farm and NSIP Status
The South Brooks Solar Farm in Kent marks the next step. EDF Renewables and PS Renewables want to connect it to the UK electricity grid at the Dungeness substation, and they plan to use the existing capacity there.
The team says the site will reach over 50MW, so it must follow the UK government’s planning application process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, or NSIPs. This solar PV power plant will also include a co-located battery energy storage system, or BESS, though the team has not shared its capacity yet.
Community Consultation Phase
Before the team can apply for a development consent order, or DCO, it must complete the pre-application stage. This stage needs several rounds of consultation with the local community. The first community consultation ran from 18 September to 30 October 2025.
Neighbours could share feedback online or at in-person events between 25 September and 11 October in New Romney, Littlestone, Lydd and Camber. Once the team has refined the plan, it will present it again in a second round next year.
FAQs
What is PS Solar and what does the company do?
PS Solar refers to the work of PS Renewables, a British developer that Established in 2012. It focuses on utility-scale, subsidy-free solar farms that often include battery storage. Its project development pipeline now tops 7-GW, and it works with Ørsted A/S on a 500-MW solar project in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Why did the Church Lane Solar Farm win approval after a refusal?
South Kesteven District Council refused the 34MW plan in July 2024 because of the temporary loss of 27.5 acres of Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land. PS Renewables filed an appeal, and the Inspector agreed that the loss was small.
What conditions come with the Church Lane planning permission?
Construction must commence within three years. The company must send written confirmation of the first export of electricity within 20 days, and it must finish the biodiversity improvements by the first planting season.
Which other projects does PS Solar have across the UK?
The 20.2-MW Sand Lane Solar Farm near Manton will power about 7,500 homes per year. With EDF Renewables, PS Renewables is developing the South Brooks Solar Farm in Kent and the Rosefield Solar Farm, which has a grid connection agreement for up to 500MW.
Why does Lincolnshire attract so many solar projects, and why do some people object?
The flatness of the land and the sunshine make Lincolnshire an ideal location for solar development. However, local support stays weak. Colin Davie, a Conservative county councillor, called the approvals a slap in the face and said the county has become a dumping ground for green energy projects. Seven other solar NSIP projects could still add over 30,000 acres.