St Andrews University reveals solar plans for 65 Fife-town buildings

Scotland’s oldest university is looking to install rooftop solar panels on up to 65 university buildings across St Andrews.

The university has submitted 44 planning applications to Fife Council, and the institution has received 27 approvals so far.

According to a spokesperson for the university, work is expected to begin on selected buildings between February and September 2025, after a contractor has been selected.

“St Andrews is blessed with more hours of sunshine than almost any other town in the UK, it’s a great natural resource, and knowing what we know now about the scale of the climate crisis, it would be irresponsible not to consider how we can use solar power here and now,” the university’s COO, Derek Watson, said.

The university already heats most of its buildings via an award-winning green energy plant that pumps hot water to St Andrews from four miles away at Eden Campus in Guardbridge.

The solar project is the next stage in a plan to meet Net Zero targets in the next 11 years.

It’s estimated the solar project will save 200 tonnes of carbon per year, which the university said will effectively “future-proof” the University’s energy security.

The university said it plans to reinvest any cost savings into an “ambitious bid to be net zero by 2035”.

“The University’s ongoing investment in and expansion of renewable energy through the installation of solar panels across campus is a significant and greatly welcomed step toward achieving carbon neutrality,” President of the St Andrews Students Association Cam Brown, said in a press release.

“By continuing to adopt and advance renewable technologies, the University of St Andrews is making substantial progress in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and protecting our environment.”

He added: “Our solar revolution reinforces our reputation as a well-established and forward-thinking institution, inspiring hope for the future of our students, our community, and our planet.”

The University town is also“one of the sunniest spots in Scotland” – enjoying an average of 1540 hours of sunshine per year, narrowly beating the City of Dundee at 1458 hours per year.

That’s another reason the university is working with renewable specialists Vital Energi to assess the suitability of 65 university buildings for solar installations.

Student residences could be prime sites for the major solar arrays. A suite of planning applications for solar panels on David Russell Apartments have already been approved by the council.

Other buildings in line for solar power include:

The Mathematics Building, North Haugh
The Medical Science Building, North Haugh
Powell Hall, North Haugh
The Psychology Department, Parliament Hall, South Street
Buchanan Building, Union Street
Physics Building, North Haugh
Physical Education Centre, St Leonards Road
IT Services Old Union Building
Arts Building, The Scores
Scott Lang Observatory, Buchanan Gardens
Whitehorn Hall, Kennedy Gardens

Fife Council will continue to consider the remaining rooftop solar plans, and the University of St Andrews is expected to begin installing the panels on select buildings in 2025 after a contractor has been selected.