Burning Blue Design has spent years recreating some of Britain’s most beloved airfields for Microsoft Flight Simulator, from the classic charm of Goodwood to the coastal character of Shoreham and Solent. Their work has always celebrated the small details of British aviation, right down to the clubhouse furniture and hangar signage.
This time, though, they’ve taken a different flight path. Instead of perfecting another airport, they’ve mapped out the solar farms across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The result is United Kingdom & Ireland Solar Farms, a scenery package that turns an often-overlooked part of the modern landscape into a surprisingly important navigation tool.
Their new United Kingdom & Ireland Solar Farms package adds more than 1,700 accurately placed solar farms across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, each one is based on real-world data.
For anyone who flies VFR, this sort of thing is pure gold. Solar farms have become genuine navigation references in the real world, joining wind turbines and roundabouts as landmarks pilots use to check their position. Spotting one shimmering in the sunlight, matching it to your chart, and realizing it lines up perfectly, can feel very satisfying!
According to Burning Blue Design, the project covers about 210 square kilometers of custom scenery, roughly the size of Dublin. The developers used full PBR texturing to make panels react realistically to light and weather, and each site includes detailed models for panels, inverters, and substations. Performance-wise, there are three levels of detail for every site to keep frame rates in check. The result should feel lightweight enough for most systems.
Interested in checking this out for your next cross-country flight in the islands? It’s available now for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, priced at £12.65.
