Research Sources & References

Key findings used in this campaign:

• Annual energy output: 119–122% of TMPV — full year empirical measurement, Feb–Dec 2023
• Winter generation: +24.52% over TMPV (October–March period)
• Morning peak energy capture: +26.91% higher daily energy (07:00–10:00)
• Evening peak energy capture: +22.88% higher daily energy (15:00–18:00)
• Duck curve severity: 57% less severe than TMPV systems
• Seasonal variations: Spring +19.32%, Summer +14.77%, Autumn +20.27%, Winter +24.52%

• Grid hosting capacity increase: +46% vs conventional solar
• Reduced overvoltage risk from distributed generation timing
• Better load matching reduces voltage fluctuations
• Lower transformer stress from improved generation profile

• Spatial quantification of UK agrivoltaic deployment potential
• Analysis of planning pipeline sites suitable for VBPV conversion
• Assessment of agricultural land grades within solar development zones

• Performance validation of vertical/bifacial systems at high latitudes
• Low-angle irradiance performance advantages at higher latitudes confirmed
• Generation profile data directly applicable to UK grid conditions

• 80–95% agricultural productivity maintained with optimal row spacing configurations
• 10–12m row spacing enables full standard machinery access
• Minimal ground coverage (<5%) from vertical mounting posts

• Global average turnkey BESS: $117/kWh (Dec 2025) — a 31% year-on-year decline from 2024
• Stationary energy storage pack prices at record low: $70/kWh (cell-level) globally
• Confirms a decade of ~20% annual cost reduction with further falls expected

• All-in utility-scale BESS capex: $125/kWh (October 2025) — based on real-world auctions in Italy, Saudi Arabia, India
• Core equipment from China: $75/kWh; installation and grid connection: ~$50/kWh
• Levelised Cost of Storage (LCOS): $65/MWh — transforming solar economics

• Commercial-scale VBPV operational data from Germany
• Agricultural productivity verification at farm scale (not just laboratory)
• Equipment specifications and maintenance cost data

The first multitaxonomic field study explicitly combining vertical agrivoltaics with sown flowering strips. Key findings:

• Sown flowering strips consistently increased catches of most invertebrate taxonomic groups versus unsown controls
• Vertical APV structures did not eliminate the positive effect of flowering strips on invertebrate diversity
• Authors conclude: vertical APVs combined with sown flowering strips "can be a viable option for sustainable agroecosystem management"
• Compatible with continued arable production — study conducted in a winter wheat field

• Systematic surveys of 15 solar parks across England and Wales — ~1,400 individual pollinators from 30+ species recorded
• Pollinator abundance and diversity highest where diverse flowering plant species had been sown and maintained
• Benefits strongest in intensive arable landscapes where pollinators rely on solar park habitats as refuges
• On-site floral resources have stronger effects on pollinator communities than surrounding landscape characteristics
• Well-designed solar parks can compensate for biodiversity deficits in intensively farmed regions

• Diversified vegetation schemes including flower strips increase natural enemy abundance by approximately 44%
• Raise pest mortality by approximately 54%
• Reduce crop damage by approximately 23% compared with monoculture systems
• Mechanism: wildflower strips provide nectar and pollen for adult hoverflies, parasitoid wasps, ladybirds and predatory beetles, sustaining populations throughout the year

• Solar farms can promote pollinator biodiversity — bumblebees, butterflies — through wildflower habitats between panel rows
• Habitat creation between rows and on margins does not interfere with energy production
• Under Environment Act 2021, mandatory BNG requires minimum 10% biodiversity increase for new developments from February 2024; NSIPs subject to BNG from November 2025
• VBPV with wildlife strips offers a credible on-site route to exceeding the 10% BNG requirement via species-rich grassland under and between rows

Key passages relevant to this campaign:

• Multifunctionality principle (p.28): Land use “should be planned and managed to deliver greater benefits across a range of outcomes.” Named example: “solar generation designed to enable continued grazing of animals.”
• Agrivoltaics on BMV land (p.21): Where development is proposed on Best and Most Versatile agricultural land, “there may be the potential for multifunctionality such as through agrivoltaic systems (installing solar panels above crops).”
• Food security commitment (pp.35–36): “A clear, long-term commitment to maintain overall food production in England.” Best and Most Versatile land to be safeguarded from permanent land use change.
• Renewables land use (Table 1, p.19): Ground-mounted solar projected to occupy 129,000 ha by 2035 — just 1% of England’s total land area. This makes maximising the multifunctionality of every solar hectare a stated government objective.
• False choice dissolved (p.6): Clean energy, food production, nature recovery and housing “are not competing demands. With the right data, the right tools, and the strategic direction this Framework provides, they are complementary ones.”
• Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (p.32): Due Autumn 2027. Will spatially optimise energy infrastructure across Great Britain. This is the vehicle through which VBPV technology specification should be incorporated into government planning guidance.

• Sub-NSIP installations (≤50 MW): total viable capacity 41.2 GW (SolarQ analysis, Dec 2025)
• NSIP-scale installations (>50 MW): total capacity 24.7 GW
• Combined pipeline: approximately 65.8 GW ground-mounted solar

• UK solar capacity target: 45–47 GW by 2030 (from 18 GW in Q1 2025)
• Government solar deployment strategy and policy framework
• Large-scale solar required: ~25+ GW beyond optimistic rooftop scenarios