Oxfordshire solar farm to supply Pioneer Group science parks

Published by

Sam Pither

Oxfordshire’s Ray Valley Solar park has signed a two year agreement with Pioneer Group, who have an office in Reading.

The agreement will see Ray Valley supplying energy to 100 companies based in Pioneer Group’s four science parks: Hexagon Tower in Manchester, BioCity Glasgow, Bedford’s Colworth Park and Edinburgh Technopole.

The partnership will make them the first UK science parks to source green energy from a single supplier, which could allow them to report zero carbon emissions on their scope two electricity. Scope two covers emissions from purchased or acquired energy; they are distinct from scope one, which covers greenhouse gas emissions a company produces directly, and scope 3, which covers indirectly produced emissions.

Toby Reid, executive director at Pioneer, said: “This is a watershed moment, not just for us at Pioneer, but for the entire life sciences industry. The energy usage of some laboratories can be almost 10 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.”

Ray Valley Solar is a 19GW solar park near Arncott in Oxfordshire. It is the largest community-owned solar park in the UK, capable of supplying 6000 homes. It was the first project of its kind for Oxfordshire social enterprise Low Carbon Hub. The last update given by Oxford City Council, in March, stated that work was expected to be completed by late April, meaning it is likely finished by now.

The project was funded by two low interest loans from Oxford City Council totalling more than £4 million.

Rowan Packer, head of sustainability at MAPP, which acted on behalf of Pioneer, said: “This innovative agreement matches the power requirements of these four science parks with Ray Valley Solar’s 19GWh annual production, enabling Pioneer to apply the ESG ‘additionality’ rule – a critical qualification in being able to report zero carbon emissions for scope 2 electricity usage.

“While a significant step, this is only part of the strategy as on-site renewable generation remains the ultimate aim long-term.”

Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset. A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise. Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.