Angus and Perthshire Glens
Angus and Perthshire Glens was paid £3.4m last year to switch off its wind farms, because the wires south were full. That would cover every local household's electricity for 41 days. A further 143 MW of approved clean power (all solar) is still waiting to be built here: enough to supply a year's electricity to 52,000 homes. A 900 MW battery approved at Haughend Farm - Alyth Battery Energy Storage System in 2024 would store power that is currently wasted; it has not been built.
The waiting list
Every approved, unbuilt project
| Site | Technology | Enough for | Capacity | Approved | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East BallochyField 400M SE Of East Ballochy, East Ballochy, Montrose, Tayside | Solar Photovoltaics | 14,000 homes | 39.9 MW | 2020-09 | 5.9 yrs |
| Suttieside Farm, Suttieside Road - Solar Farm & Battery Storage800M N/O Suttieside Farm Suttieside Road Forfar | Solar Photovoltaics | 11,000 homes | 31.0 MW | 2023-12 | 2.6 yrs |
| Pyotdykes Farm, Stoneygroves, Liff - Solar Farm500M East Of Stoneygroves Liff | Solar Photovoltaics | 10,000 homes | 28.0 MW | 2024-03 | 2.4 yrs |
| Arrats Mill, Arrat - Solar Photovoltaic ArrayE/O Arrats Mill Arrat Brechin | Solar Photovoltaics | 6,700 homes | 18.5 MW | 2023-06 | 3.1 yrs |
| Newfordpark House, Glamis Road - Solar PanelsNewfordpark House, Glamis Road, Forfar | Solar Photovoltaics | 2,400 homes | 6.7 MW | 2023-02 | 3.5 yrs |
| Craignathro Farm - Solar ArrayField 430 West Of Craignathro Farm | Solar Photovoltaics | 2,400 homes | 6.5 MW | 2023-08 | 3.0 yrs |
| Field 730M West Of Queen StreetField 730M West of Queen Street, Carsegownie, Forfar, Tayside | Solar Photovoltaics | 1,800 homes | 5.0 MW | 2015-12 | 10.7 yrs |
| Dragonhall Farm, Padanaram - Solar Photovoltaic ArrayField 275M East Of Dragonhall Farm Padanaram Forfar | Solar Photovoltaics | 1,800 homes | 5.0 MW | 2021-09 | 4.9 yrs |
| East Gormack Farm - Solar Panels100 Metres SW/o East Gormack Farm, Blairgowrie | Solar Photovoltaics | 300 homes | 0.8 MW | 2023-05 | 3.2 yrs |
| Wastewater Treatment Works - Solar ArrayWastewater Treatment Works 15 Newford Park Orchardbank Industrial Estate | Solar Photovoltaics | 100 homes | 0.4 MW | 2022-07 | 4.1 yrs |
| Killiecrankie Waste Water Treatment Works - Solar ArrayKilliecrankie Waste Water Treatment Works | Solar Photovoltaics | 100 homes | 0.3 MW | 2023-01 | 3.5 yrs |
| Burnside Farm, Stanley - Solar Farm95 Metres South Of Burnside Farm Stanley | Solar Photovoltaics | 100 homes | 0.2 MW | 2023-06 | 3.2 yrs |
| Lochhead Steading Concrete Block Manufacturing PlantLochhead Steading, Forfar, Tayside | Solar Photovoltaics | 100 homes | 0.2 MW | 2019-11 | 6.7 yrs |
| Castleton Of Eassie - Solar PhotovoltaicsCastleton Of Eassie Castleton Eassie , Forfar | Solar Photovoltaics | 100 homes | 0.2 MW | 2021-10 | 4.8 yrs |
| Adjacent Rosehill Resevoir, Ethie - Solar Photovoltaic Panel Array100M W/O Bramble Cottage Ethie Inverkeilor | Solar Photovoltaics | — | — MW | 2023-05 | 3.2 yrs |
| Dubh Loch, Butterstone - Hydro Electric SchemeDubh Loch, Butterstone, Dunkeld | Small Hydro | — | — MW | 2024-06 | 2.1 yrs |
Plus 5 more approved within the last two years.
Batteries
| Site | Size | Status | While discharging |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haughend Farm - Alyth Battery Energy Storage System | 900 MW | approved, not built 2024 | could supply ≈3,154,000 homes |
| Stracathro - Battery Energy Storage System | 249 MW | approved, not built 2025 | could supply ≈872,000 homes |
| Balnuith Farm, Tealing - Battery Storage | 100 MW | approved, not built 2024 | could supply ≈350,000 homes |
| Hallyburton - Battery Storage | 100 MW | approved, not built 2025 | could supply ≈350,000 homes |
| Stirling Battery and Solar Energy Park | 50 MW | approved, not built 2026 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Balwyllo Farm, Dun - Energy Storage Facility | 50 MW | approved, not built 2024 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Whitehills Energy Storage Facility | 50 MW | being built 2021 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Coupar Angus, Pleasance Road - Battery Energy Facility | 50 MW | approved, not built 2024 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Tir Artair - Battery Energy Storage Facility | 50 MW | approved, not built 2026 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Templeton Farm, Templeton - Battery Storage | 50 MW | approved, not built 2024 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Pleasance Road - Battery Energy Facility | 50 MW | 2022 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
| Dunmill, Substation Dun - Battery Energy Storage | 50 MW | approved, not built 2024 | could supply ≈175,000 homes |
Wind farms paid to switch off
| Site | Paid, 12 months | Energy lost | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Griffin Wind farm | £3.4m | a year of 15,000 homes' electricity | high |
What this page does not show
The switch-off figure covers the big wind farms on the national grid only; smaller farms on the local grid are switched off invisibly, so it is a floor. Offshore wind is counted nationally, never per seat. The planning database can run a quarter behind reality.
Electricity does not travel from a particular project to particular houses. Everything generated goes into the national grid and everyone draws from that shared pool, so "enough for X homes" is a way of sizing the electricity — not a claim that these homes would be powered by this site. Battery storage is counted separately from generation: it moves power in time rather than making it.
Planning statuses come from the government's planning database (REPD), which records what was decided and when, but not why. Where a project was refused we say so and name the authority; for the reasons, look up the planning reference on that council's own register. How to check any figure on this page →
What has Dave Doogan said about the grid in Parliament? Search Hansard →