We Are Pioneer signs VPPA with UK’s largest community owned solar park

Developer and operator of life science parks across the UK We Are Pioneer Group (WAPG) has signed a virtual corporate power purchase agreement (VPPA) for four of its campuses.

They will become the ‘first’ science parks to source renewable electricity from a single, dedicated supplier and will be able to report zero carbon emissions on its scope two electricity.

Ray Valley Solar, an Oxfordshire-based solar farm and the largest community-owned ground mount solar park in the UK, will supply the electricity to WAPG science campuses located in Manchester (Hexagon Tower), Glasgow (BioCity), Bedford (Colworth Park) and Edinburgh Technopole.

The solar park will power over 700,000 square feet of office and lab space to more than 100 life science companies located within WAPG’s campuses.

The VPPA agreement will match the power requirement from the four science parks with Ray Valley Solar farm’s 19GWh annual production, according to Rowan Packer, head of sustainability at property management MAPP.

Toby Reid, executive director at WAPG, said: “The energy usage of some laboratories can be almost ten times that of a standard office building, yet the work being done within them is focused on creating solutions to global health and environmental challenges. For WAPG, it is imperative that we are offering spaces in which science and technology entrepreneurs can create maximum positive impact in the most environmental and sustainable way possible.”