Transport for London (TfL) has opened a bidding round for developers looking to build purpose-built solar farms to power London’s underground network.
As part of TfL’s ambitious plan to use 100% renewable energy across its network by 2030, TfL is looking for a supply partner who will design and deliver proposals for solar projects up to 64 MW, approximately 5% of the electricity used needed to run the London power station. Underground network through the capital. The project investigates the positioning of solar infrastructure in and near the city. It will use a private wire arrangement to completely bypass local network infrastructure to reduce pressure on the National Grid and local distribution network operators (DNOs).
The tender for the project is now open and developers are invited to submit bids until December 20. Although the brief is to specifically develop a bespoke solar power plant for the London Underground network, TfL’s announcement of the bidding round notes that there are “opportunities for a wider connection to TfL’s estate”. TfL is the largest electricity user in London, with an annual energy demand of around 1.6 TWh per year.
Lilli Matson, TfL’s Chief Safety Health Environment Officer, said: “By creating new opportunities in the energy market and creating green jobs along the way, this is the start of a long-term journey to decarbonise London’s iconic transport system. We want to stay ahead of the curve and make a significant contribution to accelerating the transition of the UK electricity grid to net zero.”
Mete Coban, deputy mayor for environment and energy, called the plan to power the metro with solar energy “a win-win situation”, adding that “the solar panels will not only help TfL reduce operating costs and save passengers money but that they will also create green jobs and at the same time help TfL reduce its CO2 emissions.”
Decarbonising transport in the capital
Efforts to decarbonise TfL’s network have accelerated in recent years and months.
If reported by our sister site ccurrent±, London’s bus network has been a key focus of TfL’s efforts to decarbonise the economy, with DNO UK Power Networks (UKPN) recently investing £4 million in London’s electricity grid to facilitate the rollout of more electric buses in London. Thanks to UKPN’s Green Recovery Fund, a new 4.5MW power connection has now enabled bus operator Arriva to operate 109 new electric buses from its Whitehall Road depot.
In 2022, TfL launched a tender for power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the tube network, in an attempt to purchase enough power to cover around 10% of network usage with renewable energy sources. According to the announcement of the recently opened solar bidding round, efforts to obtain these PPAs are “in full swing.”
