University of St Andrews
Beyond Panels: A Portfolio Led Approach to Decarbonising Energy
Finalist, 2030 Climate Action
About
This programme establishes a whole‑institution approach to clean energy, with the first stage delivering solar (PV) and battery storage (BESS) across c.40 buildings. Forming a core component of the University’s Net Zero pathway, it demonstrates how portfolio-based approach can achieve larger‑scale renewable deployment within a complex, heritage‑constrained estate. The programme moved beyond asset installation to embed new approaches for institutional governance, integrating sustainability into business-as-usual delivery. It established a new University solar standard, implemented a common performance monitoring platform, and introduced embodied carbon, materials and waste data reporting within project workflows. Through linking with wider estate planning processes, the approach creates a replicable and transferable model for decarbonisation; anchoring sustainability workflows as managed, long‑term components of a Net Zero 2035 pathway, rather than as isolated projects.
Top 3 learnings
- We learned portfolio‑level planning has enabled both a higher-pace, and lower-risk approach to decarbonisation than past, isolated renewable projects did
- We found much of the data required for embodied carbon already existed within the supply chain – just required a clear ask early in delivery planning
- We learned smart flexibility trading is easier to explain conceptually than formalise contractually – important to think about specific outcomes from day zero of planning
What it would mean to win
Winning a Green Gown Award would provide external recognition that the University’s approach to decarbonisation - grounded in delivery, data and whole system thinking - is both credible and transferable. It would validate the shift from individual projects to a portfolio led approach, demonstrating that meaningful climate action can be delivered at scale, including across complex and heritage estates.
SDG
| 2026 | |
| 2030 Climate Action | |
| Finalist, UK and Ireland |
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Green Gown Award Regions
Australasia
