People were invited to have their say on plans to install solar panels on 3,700 acres (1,500 hectares) of farmland.

Kingsway Solar wants to install the panels on three plots in south Cambridgeshire and build 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) of overhead power lines.

It plans to hold a series of consultation events this month, the next in the villages of West Wratting and Great Wilbraham, and an online consultation on December 2.

David Vernon, project leader at Kingsway Solar, said: “We will use all the feedback from this consultation phase and ongoing environmental assessments to further develop our proposals.”

He said the purpose of the consultation was to gather the views of people in the community and understand any issues or concerns about the project.

Mr Vernon said: “Where there are opportunities to develop solar projects of this scale, we believe we should seize those opportunities.

“Our view is that this is an area where we can meet a pretty big need for this national need.”

It is claimed that the solar farm will have a generating capacity of 500 megawatts per year and that Kingsway Solar will power 175,000 homes.

The proposals cover farmland around the villages of West Wratting, Willingham Green, Weston Colville and Balsham.

Additionally, Kingsway is planning a 14 km (8.6 mi) “connection corridor” that will use overhead power lines to connect to an existing substation at Burwell.

Due to the scale of the development, the final decision will be made by Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, rather than local planners.

Earlier this year a 2,500 acres (1,011 ha) solar farm Operations on the Cambridgeshire and Suffolk border have been given government approval.

The Sunnica project will also connect to the substation at Burwell.

Mr Vernon said: “We recognize the proximity of Kingsway Solar to Sunnica and will consider this and other developments in the local area as part of our cumulative impact assessment.”

Some locals have raised concerns about the impact of the solar farm on agricultural farmland and local footpaths.

Mike Davey, who walks his dogs in the area, said: “I think this will completely destroy the biodiversity in the area and the land use we use it for.

“This will take it away from us.”

Holly Venn, who runs a coffee shop, said she was “not keen” on the idea of ​​building a solar farm so close to villages.

“I know it has to go somewhere, but there may be rooftops or fields that are not on the public footpath.”

Ms Venn said she wanted to learn more about the environmental impact of solar panels and batteries.

“I want to know how recyclable things are and how long those things can last in the long run.”

Initial consultations on the plans will be open until midnight on December 12, with statutory consultations expected to begin early next year.