Lancaster University has taken a giant leap towards net zero, regularly generating 100% of its own electricity for the first time this spring through a new solar farm.

Designed to include an agrivoltaics field demonstrator – a facility to inform how farming and electricity production might be designed to work alongside one another – the solar farm is just one part of a major campus-wide drive to cut carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy sources.

This is the latest in a series of ambitious clean energy milestones which have already halved campus energy related emissions, opened research and teaching opportunities and effectively established a ‘living laboratory’ for low carbon energy transition.

Supported by a strong call from students, Lancaster University declared a Climate Emergency in 2020 and is fast becoming one of the highest producers of renewable energy within the UK higher education sector.

The University has already slashed its energy related carbon emissions from a peak of 25,900 tonnes CO2e in 2005 to 10,900 tonnes CO2e in 2025. And together, the University’s wind turbine, new solar farm, and heat pump array and expanded district heat network (under construction) are expected to reduce University related energy emissions to net zero by 2030.

As well as implementing research-informed energy saving measures, the University has radically transformed the way it is powered and heated thanks to a series of carbon-slashing investments including:

• The UK’s largest heat pump energy centre (and thermal stores)
• The UK’s second east-west orientated solar farm designed to maximise electricity generation at peak morning and evening demand
• Its own 2.35 MW wind turbine providing up to 14% of campus electricity
• Together, the wind turbine and solar farm produce enough electricity to power 2,800 homes annually

Innovation test bed

Coupled with Lancaster’s internationally renowned research strengths, the new infrastructure will enable the University to lead the way, both as a clean energy campus and as a research and innovation test bed.

For example, researchers at Lancaster are already working with partners on technological advancements which could see solar farms working alongside agriculture, enabling farmers to produce both food and electricity while delivering positive impacts to nature and mitigating the biodiversity crisis.

The University hopes to inspire and inform the way other organisations could integrate cleaner energy infrastructure – from large businesses and NHS sites to towns and cities.

Facilitated by a dedicated visitor space, due to open in the new energy centre next year, the University is also keen to share its Net Zero energy transition insights with visitors, policy makers, industry and schools both here in Lancashire and globally.

Lancaster’s Net Zero journey will also feed into teaching and training, providing students across a range of disciplines with sought-after skills, enhancing employability.

Solar farm

Situated on Hazelrigg Lane, close to the University’s wind turbine, the solar farm began producing energy late last year. The 11 MW Solar Farm was carefully installed with consideration for biodiversity and includes an important agrivoltaics field demonstrator – which will be used to explore how people might be able to use the same land for both solar electricity and agricultural production.

It will be the first of its kind in the UK and an important research, innovation, and engagement facility for scientists, researchers and industry.

Air and water source heat pumps

A pioneering new district heat network is also contributing towards the University’s sustainable goals, cutting its carbon footprint and leading the way as a sustainable campus thanks to the University’s (£44 million) Net Zero Energy Project – part funded by the Government Green Heat Network Fund.

Officially completed next year, the extended district heat network is to be heated by one of the UK’s largest arrays of air and water source heat pumps and a series of highly insulated, underground pipes, which will distribute low-carbon heat across the campus, supplying approximately 250 buildings.

Originally, the district heat network supplied only 65% of the University’s buildings, but the new expansion – which includes 6.5km of new pipes – will see that rise to 95%. The network will all but remove the use of gas on campus. 

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.”

Lancaster University Head of Estate Development (Project Delivery) Anna Cockman said: “Lancaster University has made major strides towards net zero and established one of the largest clean energy ‘living laboratories’ of its kind in Europe. We are now in a unique position to become a national demonstrator for the transition to net zero. Policy makers, businesses, students, researchers are already making use of these important facilities.”

Director of Energy Lancaster Professor Alona Armstrongsaid: “The research potential of Lancaster’s renewable energy infrastructure is really exciting. On solar alone we can explore challenges such as co-production of low-carbon electricity and food from the same land, potentially reducing land-use conflict between solar deployment and agriculture.”

The investments complement Lancaster’s research strengths that cut across a wide range of sustainability and low-carbon research areas including environmental sciences, nuclear engineering, battery materials and energy storage research, sustainable computing and technologies.

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.

Our infrastructure includes:

• 2.35 MW wind turbine
• 11 MW east-west orientated solar farm, the second in the UK
• 50 KW field agrivoltaics demonstrator comprising vertical and single-axis tracking arrays
• 8 MW Energy Centre, the first of its size in the UK, operational 2027, housing an innovative array of air and water source heat pumps, along with a visitor facility
• District heating network across campus, currently under expansion.
• Pilot anaerobic digester (located at Cockerham Green Energy Limited, five miles from campus)
• Grid import and export capacity
• State of the art data feeds for monitoring of demand across campus.