Construction Work Begins for Rooftop Solar Project

On 15 September 2025, construction work began across 38 buildings for the St Andrews Rooftop Solar Project. The Solar Project, announced in September 2024, marks the University’s latest step towards its target of becoming the UK’s first carbon net-zero university by 2035.

The scheme is funded by low-interest loans from the Scottish Funding Council to support capital investments in advancing university net-zero plans.

The University told The Saint, “The main project objectives are to maximise potential solar installation at the University from available spaces, increase energy security by reducing the impact of future utility cost rises to the University, and to standardise the solar specification for the University.” This news comes as non-domestic average electricity prices have risen by over 90% in the last five years, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.

The University expects the project to generate approximately 1,100kWp of solar, accounting for roughly 4.8% of annual electrical consumption, saving 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. 

This marks the third collaboration between the University of St Andrews and Vital Energi, building on the success of the award-winning Eden Park Campus Project and the St Andrews Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency project. These two projects combined have led to carbon dioxide emissions reductions of approximately 7,900 tonnes.

Amid heightened financial strain for UK universities, the Financial Times reported that banks are pressuring institutions to restructure loans by securing them against easily liquidated real estate, in case of credit default.

Adding to financial concerns, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has predicted a decline in international student fee income for Scottish universities, citing global volatility, rising tuition fees and tougher immigration laws — a “perfect storm for Scottish universities.”

Despite these financial circumstances, renewable projects — especially solar — are generally viewed as a responsible investment for organisations. In 2023, the International Energy Agency reported that “each dollar invested in wind and solar yielded 2.5 times more energy output than a dollar spent on the same technologies a decade prior.”

The St Andrews Rooftop Solar Project comes during one of the most intensive periods for construction St Andrews has seen, with the walking route between Younger Hall and David Russell Apartments (DRA) passing nine active sites.

One DRA resident told The Saint that they were “wrenched from sleep at 9am [during] Freshers’ Week by the sound of footsteps on the roof.”

In spite of the inevitable disruption, in a letter to the local community, the University stated that “measures are in place to reduce noise” and that “standard working hours will be Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm,” with no anticipated weekend work.

A statement from the University obtained by The Saint on Friday 26 September confirmed that “the project is on schedule to complete as set out on the capital projects site.”

A controversial aspect of the project has been the unannounced placement of four PIS Armadillo security cameras near DRA. These cameras are operated by DeterTech, a private security firm and have been installed to guard the equipment when contractors are not at the site.

Under the University of St Andrews CCTV Policy and UK General Data Protection Regulations, the University is obliged to obtain a Data Processor Agreement and conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment prior to appointing third parties to maintain CCTV systems.

The Saint asked the University to confirm whether these documents had been obtained, to which a spokesperson responded, “It would be the contractor who is responsible for meeting the provisions of UK GDPR and not the University [...] The site is currently the contractor’s domain and responsibility until the work is completed and the site returned to the University.”

The University spokesperson added that “the mobile security towers operated by DeterTech are for the purpose of intruder detection to protect the contractor’s equipment and resources during solar panel installation work. These devices are widely used across the construction sector.”

“Recording is activated only by motion sensor and only when the contractor is not on-site,” the spokesperson wrote. “The devices operate with a limited field of view of 2.5 metres. They face inwards towards the site equipment, so there is no scope for invasion of privacy for any resident of DRA [...] The only chance of students being identified by the sensors would be if they entered the fenced-off construction site.”

The Saint has issued a Freedom of Information Request to the University regarding the Data Processor Agreement and Data Protection Impact Assessment.

Image by Abbie Arkless