Investing in renewable energy puts net zero on the horizon for Lancaster University

Following strong support from students, Lancaster University declared a Climate Emergency in 2020, and has since been climbing to one of the UK’s higher education sectors highest producers of renewable energy.

The solar farm is only one piece of the vastly expanding network of renewable energy investments, including the universities wind turbine, heat pump array, and currently under construction expanded district heat network.

Together, these investments are predicted to reduce university emissions to net zero by 2030.

The east-west facing solar farm is designed specifically to maximise energy production at peak demand times, and the wind turbine alone is able to generate 14 per cent of campus energy.

This series of energy milestones, the latest being the solar farm, have already succeeded in halving campus related energy emissions, and Lancaster University has already lowered its carbon emissions to 10,900 tonnes (2025), a monumental drop from its previous 25,900 tonnes in 2005.

Lancaster University researchers are already working alongside partners on technological advancements to make solar farms more compatible with nature and agriculture, with the future potential for food and electricity to be produced side by side, and making attempts to mitigate the biodiversity crisis.

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Their efforts towards net zero hope to inspire other institutions, such as businesses, corporations and NHS sites, to incorporate similar infrastructure and join the road towards cleaner energy. The university is also eager to share their advancements through a dedicated visitor space said to open in the energy centre next year, hoping to share their work and encourage progress with visitors, policy makers, and schools both Lancaster based and on a global scale.

According to figures published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, Lancaster University is one of the highest producers of renewable energy of all UK universities.

Lancaster University Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Decent said: “Taken together, these developments are enabling the University to become one of the UK’s HE sector’s largest producers of clean energy and to position itself as a hub for research, experimentation and a test bed for energy transition.”

Featured image via @From A Distance on YouTube.

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