Readers have debated controversial solar farm proposals and a planned Chatteris reservoir, with heated discussions over renewable energy reliability and water security
CambridgeshireLive readers have been having a spirited debate around local proposals, with residents discussing energy schemes and a planned reservoir. The conversation shifted rapidly between solar power, broader renewable adoption, grid stability and water provision.
Multiple ‘nationally significant’ developments are underway in Cambridgeshire, encompassing fresh solar installations, a new rail link, and a reservoir. These infrastructure schemes are designed to address the growing demands across the region, particularly for water supply and energy generation.
Such major developments fall under Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and receive distinct treatment from standard planning submissions, which local councils typically determine. NSIPs undergo initial assessment by the planning inspectorate before planning officials provide their recommendation on project approval.
One contributor sought a straightforward solution. Weneedqueenmeghan declared: “Just build the solar farms and cancel the other two waste of money.”
This prompted a fierce response. With Calumen Nomen asking: How long is it going to take for the make-weights in charge to realise that solar farms are completely useless? Everybody else twigged this years ago. Today (lovely sunny day) solar managed to provide 6.02% of our power needs. Truly abysmal – and a waste of OUR money.”
Weneedqueenmeghan replies: “Solar isn’t meant to work alone. All renewables combined now generate about 50% of UK electricity, with wind doing most of the heavy lifting and solar covering daytime demand.”
Whynot3 asks: “Why do we need solar power?”
Calumen Nomen adds: “We are nowhere nearer to solving the intermittency problem with renewables than we ever were, and there is no tenable solution on the horizon. Basically, we have to work on the assumption that there will be, as there often are now, days or weeks when renewables provide virtually none of our needs. That means preserving the means to replace them at short notice with reliable sources of energy – gas, oil, etc. This is do-able, not to say desirable, not least because it is acknowledged by many, if not most, informed authorities that we will not affect the planet’s climate – and probably never have. Renewables, from this standpoint, are a complete waste of money. We need fission now and fusion for the future.”
Don Limpio comments: “We absolutely need to generate more electricity from renewables. Solar and wind are now not only the cheapest form of power generation but also reaching a critical mass for reliability. But power generation is only part of the solution, we also need distribution and storage capacity to even out the peaks and troughs of supply and demand. EVs already do some of this with most owners charging overnight on cheap tariffs. In the next few days the Don Limpio household will be adding a 10Kw house battery. Payback period currently around 8 years, but feels good to be part of the solution in the meantime.”
While over on our Facebook page, Alan Trigg comments: “What a joke – the proposed new reservoir near Chatteris is still on the drawing board? Up and running for 2036! That’s really keeping up with water sustainability for all this new build housing going up, isn’t it?”
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