More power to Oxford Brookes!

 

Highlights

  • Solar installed on 10 Oxford Brookes university buildings
  • The systems total 847.79 kWp
  • That’s almost 2,000 solar panels
  • Together, the installations will generate 720,055 kWh’s every year
  • They will save just short of 169 tonnes of CO2 per annum

 

Background

Oxford Brookes declared a Climate Emergency in 2021 and by 2040, they intend to become a net-zero carbon organisation, where only unavoidable emissions are offset.

We’ve been working with the University over a number of years to help them achieve their ambition.

In November 2020, we installed solar on the Buckley Building, John Payne Building, Lloyd Building, Sinclair Building and the International Centre. That was approx. 300 kWp, and it doubled their solar PV capacity at the time, generating 224,912kWh per year, with a saving of 57 tonnes of CO2. You can read more about it, here.

We haven’t stopped there, though!

As part of their new strategy, Oxford Brookes has been dramatically increasing the amount of renewable energy it generates in recent years. We’ve been excited to help, every step of the way.

 

The latest installations

In the first quarter of 2024, we installed solar in three other areas at the University:

The Clerici Building (housing the Oxford Brookes Business School), Clive Booth Student Village (the biggest accommodation site for Oxford Brookes students), and Paul Kent Hall (241 study bedrooms in flats of 5 to 12).

In the Summer of 2024, we also installed solar on the Centre for Sport, the NHHB Building (at the Headington Hill Campus, a new facility designed to house the Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment) and the PWB/workshop building (providing industry-standard technical facilities for students, staff, and researchers, including specialist engineering equipment, labs, and hands-on teaching spaces).

 

The facts and figures

Here’s how it all breaks down, in terms of the solar we’ve installed and the savings:

 

And there’s more

In summer 2025, we’re installing a 91.91kWp solar system on the Joel Joffe Building, where the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences is housed. A SolarEdge system with 202 panels is incoming! It’s estimated to generate 97,250 kWh and save 16.7 tonnes of CO2.

 

Reaction

The Carbon Reduction Manager at Oxford Brookes, Paul Spencer, has this to say about working with us:

“Oxford Brookes University has worked successfully with Joju on a number of large scale commercial Solar PV installation projects on its campus buildings over the past few years. The team at Joju have helped us on our way to meeting our Net Zero goals by working sensitively within a live environment, with students, staff and students in halls. They are always responsive to our needs and are always willing to go the extra mile in tackling and responding to any problems that may arise”.

As Paul says, our Joju team will always go the extra mile (in a sustainable way of course!) and the university is clearly determined to achieve its Net Zero ambitions.

We say more power to you, Oxford Brookes… in both senses!

 

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Royal Holloway Charge Points

Going electric at Royal Holloway University

Royal Holloway, University of London, is a pioneering University, steeped in history, yet constantly adapting to the demands of modern higher education.

When it comes to environmental credentials, the University ranked as a top tier University in USwitch’s second annual study into UK universities’ commitment to being green.

As part of their Living Sustainably programme, University researchers also work with partners around the world to investigate the drivers of unsustainable activities. They respond by co-developing innovative solutions for all communities to use resources more sustainably, and to be part of healthy communities. So, when we were appointed to work with the University on its EV infrastructure, we were delighted.

Feasibility and install

After visiting the University and discussing requirements, we conducted a feasibility study to create the best possible EV charging solution for staff, students, fleet vehicles and visitors to site.

The project was funded by the University and after an initial four car parks in the original study, Royal Holloway made the decision to begin with one site. There was an excellent electrical supply to that car park already, which meant we could install four dual socket Alfens, all running at 22kW.

Collaboration

The University needed the installation to be complete for the start of the new September term last year, so we put everything in motion to complete our works in that timescale. More often than not, we carry out all electrical work ourselves but, in this instance, our installation team worked seamlessly with the University’s electrical contractor, overseen by our experienced project managers. Working collaboratively is always something we’re happy to do!

Looking to the future

Dr David Ashton, Deputy Principal (Operations) of Royal Holloway, has said that the University is

“committed to addressing climate change and working hard towards goals such as achieving net zero by 2035”

and it’s brilliant to be part of the sustainability story at Royal Holloway. We hope to install more EV charge points here in the years to come.

Discover more

Read more about our Public EV projects

Check out our work with Schools, Colleges and Universities

Read more about Joju Charging as a portal for Public Sector EV Infrastructure Procurement