Our installed solar panel capacity has reached 1 MW this year – a major milestone in our continued efforts to cut emissions and become a more sustainable institution.
Photovoltaic (PV) panels are installed on more than 30 of our buildings including colleges, library and academic buildings, and our sports and wellbeing centre. The systems will generate nearly 1,000,000 kWh of low carbon electricity and reduce emissions in Durham by approximately 200 tonnes each year. This is enough energy to power an electric vehicle around the world over 120 times on average.
The panels will power activities across the University and at some sites we will export electricity to the grid, helping to provide low emissions to our neighbours in Durham. In the last 12 months our biggest system (218 kW), located at our sports and wellbeing centre, generated 170,000 kWh which is enough to power 62 typical homes in a year.
We recently launched the Durham Declaration which sets out seven principles to guide member universities of the Coimbra Group on climate change and sustainability. We signed up to ‘Commit as investors to leading by example to transform our campuses and facilities for a net zero nature positive world and to ensure that we act responsibly and sustainably' as part of our ambitious targets to reduce our environmental impact.
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