EDF named universities’ green supplier of choice
EDF has been named the green supplier of choice in the Uswitch Renewable University Report 2020[1] looking into UK universities' commitment to renewable energy.
The study examined which universities are doing the most to limit their effect on the environment and found that 51% of those on renewable tariffs use EDF as their supplier.
With university students often champions of climate change, and 80% wanting their institution to be doing more on sustainable development[2], the research aimed to discover which universities are taking the necessary steps to reduce their own footprint on the planet.
As one of the UK’s largest suppliers of electricity to businesses, EDF is working to change the way UK organisations use energy, supporting the transition to a low carbon system, both through low and zero carbon energy tariffs and other solutions including renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs), on site renewable energy generation and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Appointed by The Energy Consortium (TEC) framework in 2016, EDF provides electricity to a portfolio of customers in the public sector across England and Wales, including the majority of Universities along with colleges, museums and research establishments. The availability of low carbon and renewable power was critical in the selection of the framework supplier both in 2016 and this year, when EDF’s contract was renewed, along with the ability to deliver long-term electricity from TEC’s own onshore wind PPA.
Richard Murphy, Managing Director of TEC said: “Recognition of EDF’s renewable supply and the procurement arrangements which deliver them via TEC is testament to the desire among Universities to support the nation and the planet in carbon reduction. EDF have consistently offered the widest range of options, from low carbon electricity generated in the UK’s nuclear power stations to wind and solar generation through bespoke arrangements in TEC’s framework.”
Matt Nunn, I&C Sales Director at EDF added: “We are incredibly pleased to be recognised by Uswitch in this study, and it’s great to see universities switching onto green, renewable tariffs such as ours. With a good amount of universities already on these tariffs due to TEC’s framework, we aim to build on this success as we grow our UK portfolio and encourage more universities to make the switch. As the leading generator of zero carbon electricity, we have the expertise to support this industry in its sustainability agenda and reduce carbon emissions, all helping towards EDF’s aim of helping Britain achieve Net Zero.”
Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch.com, commented on the positive news of universities: “It’s great to see that some universities are going above and beyond when it comes to sustainability. Having renewable installations on campus and schemes in place to produce more of their own renewable energy shows that they are leading by example in trying to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. While not every university will have the same financial resources to generate their own power, it’s good to see that they are willing to “go green” by choosing a renewable energy tariff from their supplier.”
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/sep/19/campus-is-the-perfect-place-to-disrupt-why-university-students-are
Notes to editors:
- The Freedom of Information request was undertaken to UK universities between the 18th and 20th August 2020.
- Methodology of report:
- Uswitch determined which UK universities are making the most moves to become less reliant on fossil fuels by looking at three things and placing them into tiers based on their responses:
- Do they have renewable installations on campus?
- Are there schemes in place to improve their emissions?
- Are they on a renewable energy tariff with their supplier?
- Uswitch determined which UK universities are making the most moves to become less reliant on fossil fuels by looking at three things and placing them into tiers based on their responses:
For more information:
EDF Media Team
24-hour press line: +44 (0)1452 652233
media@edfenergy.com
About EDF
EDF is helping Britain achieve Net Zero by leading the transition to a cleaner, low emission electric future and tackling climate change. We are Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity, meeting around one-fifth of the country’s demand and supplying millions of customers with electricity and gas.
With around 5 million accounts, EDF is one of the largest suppliers to British homes and businesses and a leading supplier of innovative energy solutions that are helping businesses become more energy independent. All of our home customers get energy tariffs backed by zero carbon electricity as standard.
We generate low carbon electricity from eight nuclear power stations, more than thirty onshore wind farms and two offshore wind farms. Wind, nuclear and solar all produce electricity that is zero carbon at the point of generation and have similar emissions over the build, run and retire lifecycles.
EDF is leading the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C, and is leading the development of plans for a replica at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will provide low carbon electricity to meet 14% of UK demand and power around 12 million homes.
EDF is one of the UK’s largest investors in renewables, with 1GW of renewable generation in operation and over 4GW in construction, planning and development across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage. We are constructing our largest offshore wind farm in Britain – the 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe project in Scotland which will be ready in 2023.
Our energy services business, Imtech, is one of the largest technical service providers in the UK and Ireland.
EDF is part of EDF Group, the world’s biggest electricity generator. In the UK we employ around 13,000 people.
About The Energy Consortium
TEC is a member (customer) owned, not-for-profit Public Buying Organisation. They are committed to supporting their members, including over 80 English and Welsh Universities, to effectively manage their energy estate assets from the perspective of cost, consumption and carbon. They do this by providing collaborative procurement and energy risk management services through which Universities source and optimise their energy supply arrangements, which includes the current EDF Energy framework. Through these arrangements members can access energy from fully certified renewable sources, some of which are from specific UK renewable generation, across a range of technologies including wind (onshore and offshore), solar and other non-gas based renewable generation.
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