Great Dover Street gets a makeover: King’s installs solar panels at student halls

Photo credit: King’s College London

Great Dover Street apartments sets up solar panels after students call for renewal energy.

King’s moves forward with its solar project by installing panels at Great Dover Street Apartments (GDSA) capable of saving a whopping £9,140 a year.

Talks began last year, after students and KCLSU representatives urged the College to invest in renewable energy. However, the project was delayed following government cuts to feed-in-tariffs - used to fund photovoltaics (PV) installations.

The College resumed investing in renewable energy after the Student Union’s move to Triodos, the ethical investment bank.

An eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels

The project is led by energy management coordinator, Karen Shaw, alongside then energy manager Tom Yearly. The team have undertaken a number of energy efficiency projects including thermal heating and harvesting rainwater at King’s halls.

Investing in Efficiency. New post on #solarpanels and other low-carbon projects at King's.https://t.co/8rcKDlRSER … pic.twitter.com/lyB8Dqb92w

— King’s Sustainability (@KCLSustainable) June 22, 2016

In a statement made to Roar, Karen said “We take our commitment to energy efficiency and the wider climate change issues seriously – not to mention our carbon target.”

She added “It also future-proofs the Halls of Residence against future energy crisis either of supply or price. We know that prices will rise in the future”.

The College aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 43% by 2019/20, set against its 2005/06 carbon output.

Tobias Udsholt, the Sustainability Project Assistant at King’s, has also said in a blog post “Going forward we hope to build on these achievements and lower our impact further. Students will remain central to this ambition being realised”.