Those opposed to the plant, including member of Parliament Helen Whatley, have voiced concern for the possible “industrialization” of the countryside. “We’re not talking about a few fields — this would destroy an entire landscape. I want to see us reach net-zero by 2050, but this should not come at any cost,” Whatley told The Telegraph.

Cleve Hill developers have responded to concerns by emphasizing the plant’s clean energy benefits and noting the revenue it could bring to local communities. “The solar park will deliver a 65 percent increase in biodiversity on the intensively farmed site by including open grassland and meadow areas, hedgerows and woodland,” Cleve Hill spokeswoman Emily Marshall told The Independent.

While Cleve Hill will be the biggest solar plant in the UK, it’s still relatively small compared to other solar plants globally. The largest solar plant in Europe, the Núñez de Balboa plant in Spain, boasts 1.4 million solar panels and a total capacity of 500 megawatts. Noor Abu Dabhi in the United Arab Emirates is the largest individual solar plant in the world, with 1.18 gigawatts of peak capacity and 3.2 million panels.