Farmers and landowners throughout Perth and Kinross could be in line for a significant windfall.
Plans to transform the area into Scotland’s solar energy hub will provide a massive financial boost, with some firms willing to pay up to £700 per acre to lease land.
One major scheme in the Carse of Gowrie has already been approved and two others are still under consideration at Methven and Forgandenny.
With each development covering between 39 acres and 116 acres, this could mean companies could be paying anything from £682,500 to £2 million for the entire 25-year lifespan of the solar farms within Perthshire.
As well as providing a welcome additional income for farmers, the projects will also go some way to meeting the Scottish Government’s ambitious renewable energy targets.
Elgin Energy Ltd has been granted permission for a huge development which will see 70,000 free-standing static solar photovoltaic panels installed on the Errol Estate.
This will harness enough power to support 5,500 homes and it could become the first large-scale solar farm in Scotland.
This could be dwarfed by proposals by Freewatt Developments Ltd for Shire End at Forgandenny however, which would see the creation of a site featuring 83,200 panels if given the go ahead by Perth and Kinross Council.
Meanwhile, plans for a solar farm at East Busby, near Methven have been unveiled by Lightsource Renewable Energy Ltd.
Covering an area of 39 acres, it would generate enough energy to power more than 6,000 properties.
Elsewhere in Tayside, there are also plans for two sites in Angus one at Tealing Airfield and another outside Arbroath.
Solar panels are becoming an increasingly popular way of generating green energy and according to current estimates, it is expected to become the cheapest method of harnessing renewable energy by 2025.