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From Monday (1 September), The University of Manchester will begin powering its campus with clean, renewable electricity from a major new solar farm, marking a key milestone in its goal of becoming zero carbon by 2038.

The energisation of Medebridge, located in Ockendon, Essex, means that up to 65% of the University鈥檚 electricity demand will now be met from exclusive 鈥榥ew-to-earth鈥� renewable infrastructure.

Developed in partnership with leading UK clean energy firm Enviromena, the project is part of a 10-year (CPPA), facilitated by EDF and supported by Inspired PLC, the UK鈥檚 leading energy and sustainability advisor. It is the UK鈥檚 largest solar CPPA with an educational institution.

The development represents the University鈥檚 long-term commitment to sustainability and energy resilience.

Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility at The University of Manchester, said: 鈥淭he University鈥檚 new long-term solar power agreement is a landmark moment in our journey to zero carbon. By entering into this corporate Power Purchase Agreement, we are directly supporting the development of new UK renewable energy while significantly cutting our own emissions.

鈥淯niversities have a vital role to play in tackling the climate crisis, not just through research and education but by taking bold, practical action. At 91直播, we鈥檙e proud to be the only university ranked in the global top ten every year for social and environmental impact in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, and we remain determined to lead by example to help create a more sustainable future for generations to come.

鈥淲e鈥檙e incredibly grateful to our partners, including Inspired, Enviromena and EDF, whose expertise and support have been essential in making this project a reality.鈥�

Lee Adams, Chief Commercial Officer at Enviromena, added: 鈥淲e鈥檙e incredibly proud to see Medebridge go live. It鈥檚 our largest and most complex project to date and a major step forward in the UK鈥檚 net-zero journey.

鈥淏y securing a long-term commitment with a top-tier academic institution, this project proves how large-scale renewables and corporate sustainability can align to deliver real impact.鈥�

The construction of Medebridge commenced in April 2024. Comprising of around 104,000 solar panels across 175 acres (roughly the size of 70 football pitches), the site will generate more than 72 GWh of electricity annually, 80% (58GWh) of which will be purchased directly by the University over the next decade. The move will reduce University carbon emissions by 12,000 tonnes of CO2e each year - enough to power 21,000 homes.

In addition to emission reduction, the site will also create a significant biodiversity net gain. Enhancements to the existing hedgerows and planting of native grassland and wildflower meadow beneath and around the solar arrays will encourage nesting opportunities for wildlife and improved habitat connectivity.

Since the CPPA was agreed, Inspired have supported the Enviromena team to connect Medebridge to the UK grid to facilitate the delivery of this power to the University via a sleeving arrangement.   

Richard Sullivan, Managing Director of I&C and Estate Intensive at Inspired, said: 鈥淐PPAs are an increasingly popular choice for organisations seeking to decarbonise as they offer up to 100% renewable power and much-needed additionality to the grid. Now a solar farm in Essex supplies The University of Manchester with renewable energy. 

鈥淭his is the culmination of years of meticulous contract negotiations and support our technical experts have provided, and we are delighted for the project to have reached this point. We look forward to powering our partnership on with The University of Manchester and Enviromena alike.鈥� 

Following a successful tender bid in 2025, The University of Manchester has also extended its procurement contract with Inspired to 2030, providing energy security and ongoing CPPA in-life management. 

EDF, Britain鈥檚 largest buyer of renewable electricity, is playing a key role in delivering and running the agreement that enables renewable electricity from Enviromena to power The University of Manchester. As part of this CPPA, EDF takes the variable output from the solar farm and turns it into steady, predictable blocks of power before adding it to the University鈥檚 energy supply contract. This ensures a smooth and reliable supply of renewable electricity, while delivering the transparency, reliability and carbon savings the University expects from a major renewable energy initiative.

Tom Abbott, PPA Director at EDF, said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to help The University of Manchester turn its sustainability ambitions into reality. By bringing power from Medebridge Solar Farm through this tailored CPPA, we鈥檙e showing how smart partnerships can unlock big wins for decarbonisation. Our balancing, shaping, and sleeving services mean the University gets dependable clean power - and a clear path towards its net zero goals.鈥�

The Medebridge partnership adds to the University鈥檚 growing portfolio of environmental and sustainability initiatives from big changes, such as ending all investments in fossil fuels, and completing three zero carbon buildings, to the smaller ones, such as placing food waste bins in every University building, using peat free compost across campus and the .

The University of Manchester was recently ranked in first place in the UK and Europe and second in the world for benefitting society and the environment by  for the third year running and was chosen to lead a pioneering global programme by United Nations designed to empower education鈥檚 role in the transition towards net zero.