{"id":1745,"date":"2026-04-09T08:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/?p=1745"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:41:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:41:13","slug":"rooftop-renewables-plan-for-scotland-s-oldest-and-sunniest-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/?p=1745","title":{"rendered":"Rooftop renewables plan for Scotland\u2019s oldest (and sunniest) University"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff<\/p>\n<p><meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no\"><meta http-equiv=\"X-UA-Compatible\" content=\"IE=edge\"><meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no\"><meta charset=\"utf-8\"><title>Rooftop renewables plan for Scotland\u2019s oldest (and sunniest) University<\/title><meta name=\"description\" content=\"\"><meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"\"><meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index,follow\"><meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index,follow\"><meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\"><meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Rooftop renewables plan for Scotland\u2019s oldest (and sunniest) University\"><meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"\"><meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"website\"><meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/press-releases\/rooftop-renewables-plan-for-scotland-s-oldest-and-sunniest-university\/\"><meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rooftop renewables plan for Scotland\u2019s oldest (and sunniest) University\"><meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">The sunniest university in Scotland is considering a major project to fit its rooftops with solar panels in a bid to cut carbon and cash and reinvest savings in an ambitious bid to be net zero by 2035.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">We are currently working with The University of St Andrews to assess the suitability of 65 university buildings for solar installations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">St Andrews is one of the sunniest spots in Scotland, enjoying an average of 1540 hours of sunshine per year, narrowly ahead of the City of Dundee at 1458 hours per year.* Dundee has long been regarded as the sunniest city in Scotland.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">The University already heats most of its buildings via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/#\" title=\"University of St Andrews - Biomass Project (Design &amp; Build)\" data-anchor=\"#\">an award-winning green energy plant,<\/a> also delivered by Vital Energi, which pumps hot water to St Andrews from 4 miles away at Eden Campus. The solar project is the next stage in a plan to cut all of its potentially harmful emissions to zero over the next 11 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">It\u2019s estimated the solar project will save 200 tonnes of carbon per year, while effectively future-proofing the University&#8217;s energy security.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">Student residences like David Russell Apartments and Agnes Blackadder Hall could be prime sites for the major solar arrays.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image rte\" data-anchor=\"\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-image__wrap\">\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__img-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rich-text-image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/pdibvcac\/copy-of-scotland-s-sunniest-spot-3.png?anchor=center&amp;mode=crop&amp;width=835&amp;height=474&amp;rnd=133717286093630000\" alt=\"Copy Of Scotland\u2019S Sunniest Spot 3\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__text-container\">\n<p>The sunniest University in Scotland is assessing the viability of rooftop solar across its estate<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/javascript:\" class=\"js-read-more-rte read-more-btn\">Solution detail<span class=\"btn__link font-ico-plus\"><\/span><span class=\"btn__link font-ico-minus\"><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote\">\n<div class=\"wrap quote__wrap\">\n<div class=\"swiper-container js-simple-quotes\">\n<div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n<div class=\"quote__holder\"><span class=\"quote__icon\"> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"36\" height=\"28\" viewbox=\"0 0 36 28\"><g fill=\"#F58220\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M12.319 0h3.648a2 2 0 0 1 1.838 2.788l-10.286 24A2 2 0 0 1 5.681 28H2.033a2 2 0 0 1-1.838-2.788l10.286-24A2 2 0 0 1 12.319 0zM30.319 0h3.648a2 2 0 0 1 1.838 2.788l-10.286 24A2 2 0 0 1 23.681 28h-3.648a2 2 0 0 1-1.838-2.788l10.286-24A2 2 0 0 1 30.319 0z\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg> <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"quote__holder\">\n<p class=\"quote__text\">St Andrews is blessed with more hours of sunshine than almost any other town in the UK, it\u2019s a great natural resource, and knowing what we know now about the scale of the climate crisis, it would be irresponsible not to consider how we can use solar power here and now.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"quote__author\">Derek Watson , <span class=\"quote__position\"> Chief Operating Officer &#8211; University of St Andrews<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">The solar project is the next stage in a plan by the University to play an important role in tackling the climate emergency by reducing its carbon emissions and meet Net Zero targets.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">Welcoming the project, President of the St Andrews Students Association Cam Brown, said: \u201cWe may be an ancient University but we aren\u2019t in the shadows \u2013 we are embracing the technologies of today to bring our own solar revolution into St Andrews.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">\u201cThe University\u2019s ongoing investment in and expansion of renewable energy through the installation of solar panels across campus is a significant and greatly welcomed step toward achieving carbon neutrality. By continuing to adopt and advance renewable technologies, the University of St Andrews is making substantial progress in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and protecting our environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">\u201cThis is not just talk, but action! Our solar revolution reinforces our reputation as a well-established and forward-thinking institution, inspiring hope for the future of our students, our community, and our planet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image rte\" data-anchor=\"\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-image__wrap\">\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__img-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rich-text-image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/tsenqvdh\/585626-print-1.jpg?anchor=center&amp;mode=crop&amp;width=835&amp;height=474&amp;rnd=133717290871370000\" alt=\"585626 Print (1)\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/javascript:\" class=\"js-read-more-rte read-more-btn\">Solution detail<span class=\"btn__link font-ico-plus\"><\/span><span class=\"btn__link font-ico-minus\"><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">Stephen Traynor from Vital Energi said: \u201cRooftops are a great resource for any organisation looking to decarbonise, but lots of work has to go into checking if each location is viable.\u00a0 We now have a list of buildings which are suitable and are pleased to be helping the University with the planning process. This is a project which can have a significant positive impact on the University achieving their ambitious 2035 Net Zero targets.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family:'Arial',sans-serif;color:#565656\">The University already uses <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/solar\/\">solar energy from the photovoltaic array<\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/case-studies\/the-university-of-st-andrews\/\">Eden Campus<\/a>, where a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/battery-storage\/\">battery storage unit<\/a> harnesses the renewable energy, facilitating the shift from fossil fuels across the institution and cutting the University\u2019s carbon footprint by approximately 5%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>*Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scottish-places.info\/towns\/townclimate66.html#:~:text=Climate%20Description%3A&amp;text=Precipitation%20is%20distributed%20evenly%2C%20falling,recorded%20in%20a%20typical%20year\" data-anchor=\"#:~:text=Climate%20Description%3A&amp;text=Precipitation%20is%20distributed%20evenly%2C%20falling,recorded%20in%20a%20typical%20year\">Gazetteer for Scotland<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff Rooftop renewables plan for Scotland\u2019s oldest (and sunniest) University The sunniest university in Scotland is considering a major project to fit its rooftops with solar panels in a bid to cut carbon and cash and reinvest savings in an ambitious bid to be net zero by 2035. We are currently working with The University [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"ve_media_section":[3],"ve_media_year":[],"ve_sector":[],"class_list":["post-1745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","ve_media_section-press-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1745"},{"taxonomy":"ve_media_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fve_media_section&post=1745"},{"taxonomy":"ve_media_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fve_media_year&post=1745"},{"taxonomy":"ve_sector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fve_sector&post=1745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}