“Sound ddddd our baby!” Manchester Uni sort for solar and watts… from Essex

Almost two-thirds of the electricity used by the University of Manchester will be provided next year by a giant solar PV farm now under construction in south Essex.

As the UK’s greenest university, Manchester ranks first in the UK and third in the world for benchmarks achieved against Independent ranking 2024 QS World University Sustainability Rankings. All its study programs are certified according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“It’s electric. Can I be electric too?”

Now its institutes, such as components of the world ranking Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research, The Alliance Business School, the John Rylands Library and the Schuster Physics Laboratories in Brunswick Park, where the groundbreaking Nobel Prize-winning graphene was developed by British citizens Professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov in 2004, will be powered by clean electricity from autumn 2025 . made of the light of Essex.

Famously rainy Manchester’s biggest university has signed a deal with solar park developers Environmena to buy four-fifths of the 58GWh output of the developers’ approved solar farm at Medebridge, close to South Ockendon and the Thames.

Expected to first generate at the end of next year, the Medebridge project’s 104,000 solar panels will cover 175 acres of low-grade farmland – the equivalent of around 70 football pitches – next to a landfill. At just over 46 GWh each year, Essex Farm’s low-carbon electricity will meet 65% of the University’s energy needs.

Enviromena says Medebridge will provide greater biodiversity on the edge of the Essex estuary. Preserved native grasses and wildflower meadows will surround the panel shelves, encouraging nesting sites and the growth of wildlife, including beetles at the base of food chains.

“All I need is the air I breathe”

Recovering most of the farm’s clean energy for a dedicated decade will accelerate the University of Manchester on its journey to carbon neutrality by 2038. In 2022, the institution voted to phase out investment in coal, oil and gas and reduce the carbon intensity of its other facilities his with 37%.

Professor of climate and energy policy Carly McLachlan, the university’s academic lead for carbon, observed: “The important thing for us in developing this relationship (with Enviromena) was that our commitment would add new renewable energy capacity to the UK electricity system . Through our long-term purchasing commitment, we have played a key role in driving this development – ​​maximizing the positive impact of our purchasing power.”

Baggy, not bog. Still “angry about it…”

Finance manager Lee Barlow, the university’s lead on the Essex deal, added: “After nearly three years of rigorous procurement negotiations, we are proud to announce this landmark deal, which (provides) price certainty and stability of supply.

“Securing this 10-year corporate PPA despite such adversity is a huge achievement and has particular significance as we celebrate the University’s bicentenary year.”

Enviromena Chief Commercial Officer Lee Adams replied: “This significant partnership with the University of Manchester demonstrates the shared commitment of an influential, wide-ranging organization which, as it celebrates its 200th anniversary, is taking action to reduce emissions of carbon. footprint through tomorrow’s technologies”

Founded in the UK by Sami Khoreibi in 2007, Environmena is privately held by investors Arjun Infrastructure Partners.

The developer currently manages more than 300 MW of renewable energy projects, including in the UAE, Egypt and Jordan. In the UK and Italy alone it brings elements to a pipeline of 3GW-plus of green energy projects.

Straight from Purfleet twisting my melons

For Arjun Infrastructure investors, Head of ESG Rhyadd Keaney-Watkins commented: “For Arjun and our investors, this deal between the University of Manchester and Enviromena is an exciting example of the positive real-world outcomes that infrastructure can deliver.

“With a five-fold increase in UK solar generation capacity required by 2035 and more institutions following the University of Manchester’s lead in decarbonising operations, developers like Enviromena have an important role to play in providing ‘green electrons “needed as part of net zero and the energy transition.”

Declared Interest: The present author was educated in South Essex and Manchester