Letter: Shrewsbury weir scheme is promising
By my calculations, a hydro power scheme at the Castlefields weir should give a similar rate of financial return as a large photovoltaic/solar electric scheme in the short term.
But it would be generating electricity for far longer than any PV array will. Hydro power also has significant other advantages over PV.
It can deliver electricity when it's most needed, at peak times and in the winter.
This means that the electricity has a higher carbon impact and can be sold at a higher price.
PV is useful and has its place but has severe limitations, and how many solar farms do we want in the Shropshire countryside?
The Shropshire planners' report on the scheme referenced how important developing renewable energy locally is.
However with any renewable energy scheme there's always someone who says we should use a different technology, or put it in a different place, or both.
Hydro is a very useful and reliable renewable technology and the weir at Castlefields is an ideal place to put a hydro scheme.
It therefore seems to me that this is an opportunity too good to miss and I am pleased to see the scheme backed by the Shrewsbury Town Council, the Shropshire planning committee and many local people.
I look forward to the further development and eventual completion of the proposal.
Dave Green, Underdale, Shrewsbury