EIR/202600508465 · FOI/EIR · clarification
Number of applications for solar farms and battery storage: EIR release
Information requested
Can you confirm the total number of applications for solar farms and battery storage applications throughout Scotland and the total number of successful applications?
Response
As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
On 26 February 2026, we contacted you to seek clarification on the timeframe you wished your request to cover. As we did not receive a response within the statutory timeframe, we have interpreted your request as relating to the period for which information is available on the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) portal — from 2014, when the portal was introduced.
While we aim to provide information wherever possible, in this instance we are unable to supply the information you have requested due to the following exception:
Regulation 6(1)(b) – Information publicly available
Under Regulation 6(1)(b) of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are not required to provide information that is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format.
Information relating to renewable energy and energy storage applications made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, including solar farm and battery storage developments, is publicly available through the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU) portal. The portal provides access to all applications received by the ECU and offers full transparency by publishing all associated documentation, including decisions.
It is important to note that the ECU is responsible only for applications determined under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Planning authorities are responsible for determining all other applications that fall below the section 36 threshold. As such, this response covers only applications handled by the ECU.
Details of these applications — including solar farm and battery storage proposals determined from 2014 onwards — can be accessed directly via the Scottish Government - Energy Consents Unit.
From the main page of the website, click on the search tab, followed by 'Advanced Search.' There is then the option to search by case type and status, before selecting the 'go' button which returns the search results. These can then be exported to various file formats to allow for additional analysis. For clarity, there is the option to search by case type (development), followed by project type (for example, Battery Energy Storage System or Solar) and case status (consented/refused).
An exception 6(1)(b) of the EIRs (information already available) is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception, as the information is already publicly available.
In relation to the wider points raised, Scotland’s Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) sets out the national spatial strategy and national planning policies that guide where and how development should take place. NPF4 places climate and nature at the centre of our planning system and makes clear our support for all forms of renewable, low‑carbon and zero‑emission technologies, including transmission and distribution infrastructure. It also ensures that potential impacts on communities, nature and cultural heritage, including cumulative effects remain important considerations in decision‑making.
This includes NPF4 Policy 11 (Energy), which requires that project design and mitigation demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, as well as cumulative impacts, will be addressed. NPF4 policies should be read and applied as a whole, and it is for the decision‑maker to determine the weight to be attached to each policy on a case‑by‑case basis.
In addition, the Scottish Government has co‑commissioned NESO to develop the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP), alongside a Regional Energy Strategic Plan (RESP) for Scotland. These plans will help shape how Scotland’s energy infrastructure needs to evolve over the coming decades to meet net‑zero targets. We continue to work closely with NESO, and with the UK and Welsh Governments, to ensure the SSEP aligns with devolved powers, planning mechanisms and ambitions, delivers benefits for Scotland’s people and communities, and supports a just transition.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA. This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. Information relating to renewable energy and energy storage applications made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, including solar farm and battery storage developments, is publicly available through the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU) portal.
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