Education Today Education Today Magazine
Siemens has completed work on a 200kWp solar farm for the University of York located at the University’s new Institute for Safe Autonomy, as part of £1.5 million research project.
The solar farm will create a ‘living lab’ for the Institute to give insight to landowners and operators of solar farms on how best to integrate robotic technology in the field. It will also enable the Institute to become net zero for energy by 2025, generating power for more than 80 per cent of the building’s 600kWh expected daily use.
The farm, which spans more than 1400 square metres, consists of a range of different panel configurations including static ground installations and a sun-tracking array. Some solar panels are also mounted onto the side of the Institute’s building and its rooftop as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) to achieve wide range of installation positions.
Professor Miles Elsden, Director of the Institute for Safe Autonomy, added: “Robotics, autonomous systems and AI have the potential to transform the way we live, travel and work in the future. Integrating them with the production of renewable energy will ultimately play a key role in the journey towards net zero. This innovative research project marks an important milestone for the Institute since we opened earlier this year and reaffirms our commitment as a university to sourcing sustainable energy.”
