New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Power with purpose: the story of a solar farm powering a university
22/10/2025
8 min read
Feature
How does a solar farm get built? The history of the 71 MWp/72.5 GWh Medebridge solar farm can be traced back through its customer and the site, reports New Energy World Senior Editor Will Dalrymple, who visited the facility in South Ockendon, Essex, earlier this month.
For years, the University of Manchester has been searching for a long-term supply of low-carbon energy.
To set the scene, Julian Skyrme, Executive Director of Social Responsibility, looked back into history at Medebridge’s official launch ceremony on 10 October. Manchester was the world’s first industrial city, powered through coal; the city still has some of the worst rates of asthma in the country. But in 2019, Manchester was the first UK city to set a science-based target toward zero emissions, with a net zero target of 2038, 12 years before the rest of the country.
Why invest in solar power, he asked rhetorically. His answer was that it’s a strategic commitment. The University of Manchester was the first university to place social responsibility as a core goal, an action dating from 2011. The University is top in Britain in achieving against UN Sustainable Development Goals. And among the metrics in the new Manchester 2035 strategy is zero carbon Scope 1 and 2 (direct and indirect) emissions by 2038. ‘This investment [in the Medebridge solar farm] increases our confidence of achieving that,’ Skyrme said.