University to increase its renewable energy generation

Wed 30 August, 2017

In the last 12 months the University generated enough renewable electricity to power an average UK home for thirty years. This will increase to 45 years when the solar panels on the new STEM building are installed.

The University first installed photovoltaic solar panels on its Luton campus centre building in November 2010.

Since then the University has gone on to install another three solar panel arrays. The most recent and largest instillation is on the roof of the new library at Luton campus.

The University has a total of 112 pKw output of solar panels installed. The photovoltaic panels produce around 120,000 KWhs of electricity a year.

Solar Panel Location	Total installed capacity (pKw)
Campus Centre, Luton campus	2.60
Postgraduate Centre, Luton campus	23.46
Gateway Building, Bedford campus	36.00
Library Building, Luton campus	50.24
¹STEM Building, Luton campus	50.00

¹The renewable electricity generation will increase by around 30-40% when the new STEM building is complete with its 50 pKw solar panel instillation.

The STEM building solar panels will further reduce the University's carbon emissions by around fiftysix tonnes per year.

The main benefit of generating renewable energy is a reduction of carbon emissions released into the earth's atmosphere, which is the primary cause of anthropogenic climate change and global warming.