In just three years, solar panels at the University of Southampton Science Park have generated enough electricity to power 670 homes for a year.
Roof panels fitted on 10 Science Park buildings - plus two solar trees at the entrance - have created an incredible 1.8-Gigawatt hours of electricity, saving approximately 350 tonnes of carbon.
The successful scheme demonstrates the power of close collaboration between the University, the Science Park and Absolar, a University of Southampton spin-out.
Absolar's Director, Nic Cory, said: "The 10 solar powered buildings and two solar trees have eliminated approximately 350 tonnes of carbon footprint from the grid and are helping to reduce energy costs at the Science Park.
"This is a significant sustainability milestone and we're proud of the impact we're having."
Absolar uses technology to conduct fast and accurate remote surveys to assess the solar potential for any building. Launched in 2020, the business has received research and development support from the University, as well as mentoring through the Science Park's Catalyst business acceleration programme, which is designed to give promising new enterprises the best possible chance of commercial success.
The University of Southampton was recently ranked as a top 20 university for launching spin-out companies by the Royal Academy of Engineering. In the last five years, start-ups and spin-outs working with the University's on-campus accelerator, Future Worlds , have raised more than £78m and created nearly 400 jobs.
Professor Phillip Wright, Senior Vice-President at the University of Southampton, said: "The success of the solar energy scheme at the University of Southampton Science Park highlights how our university supports and develops research and enterprise collaborations.
"Absolar is a fantastic example of a University of Southampton spin-out that's now delivering real-world impact for our region and beyond.
"Our vision is that by 2030, sustainability will be a part of everything the University of Southampton does - our individual behaviours, how we work together, and how we make decisions for the future."
Robin Chave, Chief Executive Officer at the University of Southampton Science Park , added: "We are continuing to work with Absolar on the rollout of solar panels across the Science Park estate working with clear return on investment data.
"Innovative initiatives like this are helping us work towards achieving our goal of reaching net zero by 2030, aligning us with the University's own vision to embed sustainability into everything it does, while also benefiting all of our resident businesses through lowering their energy costs and their own environmental impacts."
