SmartestEnergy is to deliver renewable energy to 33 Cambridge University colleges under a three-year supply agreement.
The energy will mainly come from the Stowbridge and Abbey solar farms located within a 48-km radius on SmartestEnergy’s ‘Renewable Specific’ product, certified by the Carbon Trust.
The remaining 20% will be sourced from solar generators across the UK.
The two projects totalling 35MW are based in Ely and Huntingdon respectively and are owned by Toucan Energy.
The demand for a bespoke renewable supply arrangement was requested by both the management team and the student body in Cambridge Colleges.
Darwin College head of energy purchasing and secretary of the inter-collegiate environment committee Giles Greenfield said: “Our students have been very vocal about wanting to attend a sustainably-minded university that procures and supports local renewable generators, so we actively sought a supply contract, working closely with our energy consultants at World Kinect Energy Services, that could fulfil ours and our students’ requirements.”
SmartestEnergy head of industrial and commercial supply sales Nathan Dad said: “This is a really exciting contract for us and we’re delighted the Cambridge Colleges team found what they were looking for in our certified Renewable Specific product.
“We’ve worked closely with the Cambridge Colleges, along with their Energy Consultants, World Kinect Energy Services, to ensure the contract meets their bespoke requirements.
“Toucan Energy are a long-term generation customer of ours and given their location and their company mission to support local authorities and communities, they are a perfect match.
“All Cambridge Colleges can now confidently report zero carbon emissions to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, while also realising their goal of procuring renewable energy locally.”
World Kinect Energy Services vice president EMEA Terry Cogan said: “We are seeing an increase in sustainability goals driven by consumer pressure as more people become environmentally aware.
“Having worked with the Cambridge Colleges since 2014 to provide their energy management solutions, we have a good understanding of their energy needs.
“We worked with them on a competitive bid in line with their carbon reduction commitments that fully addressed the requests of their students and placed local renewables as the primary focus.
“SmartestEnergy stood out from the other seven suppliers as they offered the best deal.”
Toucan Energy financial controller Dan Skilton said: “We are delighted to supply Cambridge Colleges with certified, REGO-backed solar energy and are proud to be part of the university’s journey to achieving their sustainability goals.”