The National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) has signed a deal with a solar power and battery developer that will see a marginal amount of productive farmland being developed for solar installations.

The NFUS, which represents more than 9,000 Scottish farming and crofting businesses, has signed a new ‘affinity’ deal with Iqony Solar Energy Solutions (SENS) UK – a division of Iqony SENS, a large multi-national solar and battery developer, engineering contractor and independent power provider.

The deal aims to ensure that only a marginal amount of productive farmland is used for solar installations, with the two organisations working closely to identify suitable sites for PV technology and battery projects.

Once the sites have been identified, SENS will own and develop them, with the landowners receiving rent for the land for up to 40 years. This way, the land can be used to generate and store sustainable energy while providing an income stream for farmers.

“Although it’s clear that our projects...