Truss plan to block solar farms is deeply unpopular – so why is she so keen?

theguardian.com:

Liz Truss and her environment secretary, Ranil Jayawardena, have achieved the almost unthinkable this week, by reportedly moving to ban solar farms from much of England.

In doing so, they have even managed to unite the free-market, anti-net zero Institute of Economic Affairs thinktank with green groups, the energy industry and the Labour party in opposing the plans.

Banning solar farms from most of England’s farmland would place Truss squarely in opposition to the policy priorities she set out in her own speech to the Conservative party conference.

Under the banner “Get Britain Moving”, the prime minister said she wanted faster economic growth, lower energy bills, reinforced energy security, more renewables and action to tackle climate change. Yet the solar ban would hold back investment, lead to higher energy bills, lock in continued gas imports, stop renewable growth and stall efforts to reach net zero emissions.

Truss said her ambition was to unleash “growth, growth and growth”. This will be news to the investors waiting to pour up to £20bn into new UK solar projects, according to the Financial Times.

Her speech decried the “anti-growth coalition” that she said was “always [for] more taxes, more regulation and more meddling”. So farmers looking for more income may baulk, if Truss bans them from adding to growth by giving their fields over to solar while continuing to graze livestock.

She said growth meant “businesses creating jobs”. But perhaps not the tens of thousands of jobs that industry group Solar Energy UK says its sector could be created by 2030.

Truss touted her government’s efforts to “shield people from astronomically high [energy] bills”. But her ban would block new solar projects, which are quick to build and