BT research campus to use green energy

British Telecoms will use all the energy from a new solar farm to operate its research campus.

More and more big companies are demonstrating their commitment to sustainability by adopting green energy policies and actively seeking out opportunities to move to greener ways of working. British Telecom (BT) has just said it plans to use green energy to power its huge research campus in Suffolk.

In what is believed to be the UK’s biggest dedicated private scheme, 100 per cent of the huge 8MW generated by a new solar site at Brightwell will be used to power up to 90 per cent of demand at the telecoms firm’s Adastral Park campus at Martlesham Heath on sunny days.

That means that the 16 hectare site, which contains over 32,500 solar panels, will be entirely dedicated to supplying a single research campus.

Over 4,000 people are now working at Adastral Park across more than 60 tech companies, and as its reputation for innovation grows it makes sense that embracing green technology should be the next logical step. Managing director at the site and head of research for BT Dr Tim Whitley said the decision will take the company further down the road towards sustainability.

“As a leading technology centre for the UK, we have a responsibility to find innovative ways of reducing our environmental impact. This contract represents another great step in reinforcing our sustainable energy plans for the park and BT,” he said.

“This agreement will mean that the solar farm will supply up to 90 per cent of site demand on sunny summer days.”

This move by BT comes as more and more companies take increasingly radical steps to reduce their carbon footprints and go green with their operations.

A few months ago British Airways announced it would be running flights powered by rubbish. The carrier said that it had signed a contract with Solena Fuels to build a special facility that will convert refuse into airline fuel. That will help to reduce the waste sent to landfill as well as cutting the environmental impact of BA flights.

BT’s encouragement of green energy will hopefully lead the way for other companies seeking to become more sustainable. In any case, it forms part of an emerging trend.