Sadiq Khan unveils plans to run Tube network on solar power with net-zero farms built in leafy London suburbs

Sadiq Khan has unveiled plans to run the Tube network on solar power, with hopes of building net-zero farms in leafy London suburbs. 

Transport for London (TfL) has opened a tender for developers to build the farms, with Mr Khan setting out plans to position them in the commuter belt.

The £175million scheme is part of TfL's wider ambition to use 100 percent renewable source electricity across its operations by 2030.  

Solar farms would require several hundred acres of land, so counties such as Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex are being considered.

TfL is the largest single electricity consumer in London with a demand of approximately 1.6 Terawatt hours (TWh) per year, which is equivalent to the electricity consumed by around 420,000 homes or 12 percent of homes across London.

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This means that it is left with a huge power bill of around £350m annually. 

Lilli Matson, TfL's chief safety, health and environment officer, said: 'We're inviting bidders to help us deliver purpose-built solar photovoltaic (PV) farms for the Tube network … This is the start of a long-term journey to decarbonise London's iconic transport system.'...read more