Aberystwyth University has been given the green light for the development of a £ 2.9million solar panel on land adjacent to its Fferm Penglais student accommodation.

Work is expected to begin on the 2.5 MW solar panel in February 2022, with around 5,000 solar panels installed at the four-hectare site. When completed, it will generate around 35% of the electricity needs of the Penglais Campus, helping to reduce its carbon emissions by 8% per year.

Over the lifetime of the facility, the university is expected to save £ 18million in electricity costs, or around £ 320,000 per year.

The non-ministerial public body Salix is ​​providing a £ 2.6million loan for the project, through the Wales Funding Program, and will be repaid over a ten-year period.

Aberystwyth University Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Neil Glasser, who is responsible for the university’s environmental and sustainability policies, said he was determined to “do all we can to reduce our energy consumption and decarbonize our operations “.

“We have invested in several energy efficient technologies, conducted research on reducing carbon emissions and are now looking to use the land we own to create our own renewable energy through solar power, which will help support our commitment to become carbon neutral. by 2030.

The solar farm adds to more than £ 3.4million of investments the university has made in energy efficiency projects over the past year, including the installation and optimization of management systems building energy, modernizing lighting and improving pipe insulation, among other initiatives.

So far Aberystwyth University has received over £ 1.8million in funding from Salix Finance in partnership with the Welsh government. He expects to fully repay these interest-free loans, making the upgrades neutral.

The university first announced plans to develop a ground-based solar site in March. A number of universities are turning to solar to help them meet their decarbonization goals. 15,000 solar panels, wind turbines and accumulators installed and Goldsmiths University in London announcing its intention to “considerably†more photovoltaic solar panels in 2019.