Three sights that could drive 15, 000 cars off the road
UK mobile operator Vodafone has signed a 10-year deal to build three new solar farms in the UK along with energy service provider Centrica and Greek construction company Mytileneos. The trio say they are supporting the UK government’s promise for locally sourced, clean and affordable energy. The three solar farms will be built in Lincolnshire, Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire and energy generation is expected to start before the end of 2022. Approximately 55GWh of green electricity will be dedicated to Vodafone UK, with the remaining 50% to be sold to balancing and merchant power markets through Centrica’s Energy Marketing & Trading business.
Locally sourced power
In a press release Ahmed Essam, Vodafone’s UK CEO, claimed that the mobile operator’s net zero target is a critical part of the company strategy. Essam also claimed that Vodafone’s entire business in the UK and Europe is powered by electricity sourced from renewables. “Today’s announcement ensures a significant proportion of our energy is home-grown in the UK for the next ten years,” said Essam. When fully operational, with the right light, the solar farms could supply 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable electricity annually. In ideal conditions this would be enough to power a town of almost 30,000 households for a year and save around 25,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions, which is the equivalent of taking 14,860 cars off the road per year. Approximately 55GWh of green electricity will be dedicated to Vodafone UK, with the remainder being sold to balancing and merchant power markets through Centrica’s Energy Marketing & Trading business.
Eco rated
Vodafone UK’s progress on this year’s ‘net zero journey’ includes milestones such as switching to 100% renewable electricity; cutting CO2 emissions by 37% (according the Carbon Trust); trying out new electric vehicle charging points and moving to a 60% EV or PHEV car fleet; offering customers trade-in options and refurbished handsets, launching an Eco Rating scheme and switching to SIM cards made from recycled plastic. Vodafone says it has helped businesses save almost 500,000 tonnes of CO2e by using internet of things technology and it has joined the UK Government’s Race to Zero and Tech Zero Taskforce.