Graham Campbell says 'save our land and use roofs for energy'

Solar energy, with wind, is the future, but do we really need to cover our finest landscapes and most valuable agricultural land with solar farms? Of course not. That would be madness.

We need every bit of our precious land to produce more food for a growing population, and we must protect our biodiversity and landscape heritage.

We have vast areas of tarmac in car parks plus unused roofs just waiting to absorb the sun’s energy. These are the opportunities we need to act on with urgency.

We are delighted to report that Cambridgeshire County Council is leading the way by building a solar park roof over the Busway Park and Ride in St Ives (This has the added bonus of keeping the cars cool in summer).

St Ives Park & Ride solar panels under construction. (Image: Ian Jackson)

It is also common sense that no new building should be constructed anywhere without a legal requirement to make full use of its roof area to capture solar energy.

This really ought to have been a building regulation for the last 20 years, and so we have a lot of catching up to do.

The opportunities are huge. New technology means that whole roofs, from ridge to gutter, can be generating power.

Installing isolated solar panels on traditional tiled roofs must soon become a thing of the past. There is a whole new architecture waiting to be exploited.

We must look at roofs not just as a means to keep out the weather but also as the main source of our energy needs.

And if we combine this with a serious commitment to improving the thermal insulation of our existing buildings, we will have a bright, and warm, future.

The Great Ouse Valley Trust promotes, for public benefit, the conservation, restoration and enjoyment of the landscape, wildlife and heritage of the Great Ouse Valley and environments in the county of Cambridgeshire.

For more information about the Trust, visit www.greatousevalleytrust.org.uk