Low Fen Drove Way Solar

Innova is proposing a 49MW (Megawatt) solar and 10MW energy storage development on land off Low Fen Drove Way. This proposal will connect into the local electricity grid  through an on-site connection and will have a generation capacity to power the equivalent of approximately 13,422 households and save approximately 10,909 tonnes in CO2 emissions per year. 

This site has been selected and designed via a detailed assessment process. An important part of this process is to engage with the local community and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions and provide feedback on the proposals.  

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050 and a target to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035. The Proposed Development would support the UK’s transition to Net Zero and increase the use of renewable energy through supporting the availability of energy to the National Grid.

South Cambridgeshire District Council declared a climate emergency in November 2029 and an ecological emergency in July 2019. The Council published the Zero Carbon Strategy in 2020 which sets out the Councils aim to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and reduce them to zero by 2050. 

An important step in achieving Net Zero is the rapid decarbonisation of the UK electricity network, as this will enable the decarbonisation of other sectors, such as heat and transport. To achieve a low carbon energy network the UK Government has a target of 50 Gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030 and the UK energy minister wants to increase solar generation from 14GW to 50GW and onshore wind from 15GW to 30GW, all by 2030.  

Solar farms and energy storage systems like the proposed Low Fen Drove Way development will play a key role in reaching these committed targets and addressing the Climate Emergency and energy security in the UK. 

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050 and a target to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035. This requires an extra 3GW of solar to be built each year. Renewable energy developments like Low Fen Drove Way are a key part of addressing the Climate Emergency. The development will serve a key role in this vital transition to renewable energy. 

We have proposed a solar and energy storage project to be located on Land off Low Fen Drove Way.

The site has been carefully selected, and the design to date has been informed by a number of desktop and on-site surveys.

Access information:

Construction traffic will approach the site by exiting at junction 34 of the A14 (traffic approaching from the east to use the roundabout at junction 33 to turnaround), onto Horningsea Road northbound and then turning right onto Low Fen Drove Way.

The construction traffic route will avoid passing through any villages in the immediate site area, and access the site directly from the A14 and Horningsea Road.

Once the site is operational it will only require 1 – 2 visits a month for maintenance, via a 4×4 vehicle or van.

Surveys completed to date:

• Preliminary Ecological Assessment
• Breeding Birds
• Wintering Birds
• eDNA Great Crested Newts
• Badgers
• Bat surveys
• Alternative Site Assessment
• Preliminary LVIA
• Heritage – Desk Based Assessment
• Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage
• Agricultural Land Classification
• Initial Glint & Glare Assessment
• Initial Landscape and Visual Assessment
• Topological Survey

Surveys underway or to be completed prior to submission:

• Arboricultural Impact Assessment
• Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP)
• Full Landscape and Visual Assessment
• Ecological Impact Assessment
• Full Glint and Glare
• Noise Assessment
• BNG Calculation, Assessment and strategy

An EIA screening request has been submitted, and this can be found on South Cambridgeshire District Council website.

*13,422 homes powered by Solar. Energy Storage to store enough electricity to power 22,318 homes during times of peak demand.