Image courtesy SNRG
UK science and innovation campus Harwell has signed an agreement with energy infrastructure company SNRG to design, fund and operate a smart grid, enabling the campus to accelerate their expansion plan and avoid costly grid connection delays.
With the agreement, says Harwell, the science campus becomes the first in the UK to instal such technology in a commercial application.
The project will provide sustainable power to the campus, enabling lower energy costs and accelerating the campus’s two million square foot expansion plan.
The smart grid will harness unused capacity, store excess solar power in communal batteries and manage demand through advanced monitoring and AI-driven optimisation.
Home to over 7,000 scientists, engineers and innovators across more than 250 organisations, Harwell has a £300 million ($404.4 million) investment plan to triple the amount of available lab space and advanced manufacturing facilities.
However, grid connection delays are now recognised as one of the biggest barriers to UK growth and decarbonisation objectives, with some industrial users facing wait times of over a decade.
According to Harwell in a release, the smart grid is central to their growth plan, providing a fast alternative to conventional grid connection and reinforcement, which is estimated to take more than a decade and costs tens of millions to deliver.
Rather, the solution gives them immediate access to the capacity they need to grow faster, says Harwell.
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Additional benefits, says SNRG in a release, include:
- Lower energy costs: Harwell occupiers will access solar power 35.6% below the 2024 UK average, in a market where prices are already 113.7% above the European average.
- Smarter capacity management: The smart grid uses an AI-powered optimisation engine to dynamically assign excess capacity across the smart grid to flexible assets such as EV chargers, ensuring businesses can access affordable reliable power.
- Lower-carbon operations: Rooftop solar PV and communal battery storage will save an estimated 230 tonnes of CO₂e in the first year of full operations alone.
- The first buildings connected to the smart grid are expected to be energised in November 2025, with the smart grid roll out taking place over the next five years.
Commenting in a release was Dan Pagella, senior director of asset management at Harwell Campus: “Harwell is home to some of the world’s most advanced science and technology research organisations and it’s vital that we’re able to provide the sustainable infrastructure they need to succeed.”
Pagella said energy costs, capacity and carbon reduction are critical issues for the campus’s members and that the SNRG smart grid addresses all three.
“This pioneering technology allows us to expand sustainably and at pace, while offering our members lower-cost, lower-carbon electricity. It’s an important step forward for Harwell and for the UK’s wider science and innovation economy,” said Pagella.
Said Shane Hussain, SNRG CEO: “Our recent announcement at Otterpool Park and now our partnership with Harwell demonstrate SNRG’s unique ability to deliver innovative energy infrastructure for the UK’s largest and most ambitious developments.
“By designing, funding and operating smart grids that combine AI optimisation, onsite generation and long-term infrastructure backing, we’re enabling landmark projects like Harwell to expand sustainably while delivering real benefits to tenants and the wider UK economy.”
