Solar Farms Could Partly Power London Underground

Transport for London (TfL) is embarking on an ambitious solar panel project to harness the sun’s energy and power its iconic London Underground network. The transport body has issued a call for partners to help develop up to 64 megawatts of zero-carbon solar power, enough to supply approximately 5% of the Tube’s energy needs.

By bypassing the National Grid, TfL aims to reduce its reliance on traditional energy sources and lessen the strain on the central power network. As London’s largest single electricity consumer, equivalent to powering 420,000 homes, this initiative represents a significant step towards a more sustainable future.

In addition to environmental benefits, TfL believes that a long-term private wire scheme could lead to substantial financial savings. This move aligns with Mayor of London’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, solidifying London’s position as a global leader in sustainable urban development.

Lilli Matson, from TfL, expressed enthusiasm for the project, stating, “As London’s vibrant, green heart, we’re constantly exploring innovative ways to make our network and energy consumption more sustainable. By tapping into new energy market opportunities and creating green jobs, we’re initiating a long-term journey to decarbonize London’s iconic transport system.”

If you’re a UK homeowner seeking to benefit from solar panels, you can reach out to our dedicated solar energy team today for a free no-obligation quote. To speak with a solar energy expert, call us at 01268 928 690 or simply click the “Enquire Now” button. We’re here to assist you in making environmentally-friendly choices for your home without all the jargon.

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Robert Wheeler

Robert Wheeler is at the forefront of Marketing and Business Development at NXTGEN Energy Ltd, a premier solar energy solutions provider based in Rayleigh, Essex, UK. Robert is driven by his passion for helping homeowners & businesses slash their energy bills & minimize their carbon footprint. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise in solar energy, he regularly shares insightful articles on the NXTGEN Energy blog. If you’re looking at investing in Residential Solar Panels in Essex or Commercial Solar Panels in Essex, Kent, London and the surrounding areas, contact NXTGEN Energy today. Your trusted MCS Certification Solar PV and Battery Storage Installer. Need Pigeon Proofing added to your solar array?

FAQ: Solar Powering the Underground

How much solar power does TfL aim to generate?

TfL is seeking to generate up to 64 megawatts of solar power, which would supply approximately 5% of the energy needed to run the Underground network.

How will this solar power be used?

The generated solar power will directly supply the Underground network, bypassing the National Grid. This will reduce TfL’s reliance on traditional energy sources and lessen the strain on the central power network.

What are the environmental benefits of this project?

This initiative will significantly reduce TfL’s carbon footprint and contribute to London’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. By harnessing renewable energy, TfL is taking a significant step towards a more sustainable future.

How will this project impact London’s economy?

The development and maintenance of solar farms will create green jobs and stimulate economic growth in the region. Additionally, the long-term private wire scheme could lead to substantial financial savings for TfL.

When can we expect to see the solar farms operational?

TfL is currently seeking partners to help deliver this project. Once a suitable partner is identified, the timeline for the development and implementation of the solar farms can be determined.

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Gary Caley

11:15 07 Mar 25

My main point of contact has been Bobby and he has been brilliant from start to finish, was happy to send a quote to me online, explained everything to me so i understood it and has been available to me at any time to answer queries.My install was performed by Phil and his team, they arrived on time and only took 3 hours to do the whole job!Phil was great at showing me how to use the app and explaining what would happen going forward.My last point of contact has been Kelly, she sent me all my documents for my energy supplier within 3 working days which was brilliant, again i had some questions and she has been more than happy to help me.If anyone is reading this thinking about getting solar then stop thinking and just do and us Nxtgen it really is a no brainer, they all make the whole process so easy i cannot thank them enough.

Prabath Kannangara

11:26 05 Mar 25

I had my solar done by these guys. It was Stuart who dealt with it from start to finish. I was explained very clearly and payments taken in steps. Very professional and highly recommended. Other working guys were also very professional. Work was very neat and tidy. Service was Next level. Highly recommended. Thanks.

Naga Tatipalli

20:08 18 Feb 25

Exceptional service from start to finish! The entire process from the initial proposal to after-sales support, was seamless and professional. The team provided clear communication, addressing all our questions and ensuring we had the best solution for our solar needs. Installation was quick and efficient. Even after the installation, their support has been prompt and helpful. Highly recommend the company for quality and reliability!

Barry Jenkins

13:52 18 Feb 25

From the very first interaction, NxtGen has been entirely professional, with Bobby the salesman and Kelly managing the administrative tasks. I couldn't find any faults with their service. There was no aggressive selling; they addressed all my questions and provided the most suitable solar solution for our needs. Every appointment at our home was punctual, and all the tradespeople were courteous. Aside from the solar panel and battery installation, you wouldn't have noticed they had been there since they left no mess behind. Anyone in search of solar panels should definitely reach out to NxtGen, as they will take good care of you and offer the best solution for your requirements. I am a very satisfied customer, and I particularly enjoy watching the app that displays the system in action (I think I might be addicted to it, LOL).

P P

17:58 02 Dec 24

Really happy end to endReally happy with the end to end process with Bobby art the start and Kelly keeping me informed al the way through.The panels are working albeit that we are now in December.Looking forward to higher power generation once the days start to get longer and lighter!

Philip Lennard

14:36 15 Aug 24

I recently ordered a 12 panel Solar system plus Inverter and iBoost plus Car Charger. All went really well except for a couple of, what I would call very minor hiccups.As soon as superstar Kelly got involved, hiccups went away. As if by magic!!!The whole team, to include Conner, Ben, the install team were excellent.They did everything that was "on the tin", thanks, Phil

Bob “Mkbob” James

12:22 05 Aug 24

The installation was quick and efficient. The installation of the inverter and battery in the garage was very neat.The team were very friendly and quick to answer all the questions I asked.They explained the process from start to finish and gave me great confidence in the Company.My contact at the company had an excellent customer centred manner and went the extra mile to ensure a smooth process.I would strongly recommend this company.

Tom Wood

11:13 30 Jul 24

Fantastic company to deal with. Contacted them on the strength of positive reviews left by others and was thankful I did. I dealt with Steve who was extremely helpful and attentive throughout in guiding me to the correct (and not the most expensive) setup to meet our needs. The team had the DNO done, scaffolding up and job fully completed within 2 weeks of ordering despite my location being some 2.5hrs away from their base in Essex. Highly recommended if you’re thinking of going solar like we did. Thanks Nxt Gen!

Kerrie Bolingbroke

20:30 12 Jul 24

Great customer service from pre-sale to after sale. Competitive prices and friendly fitters.

graham young

17:48 17 Jun 24

If you are considering installing a solar panel and battery system you should definitely give this company ago. My faith in getting great service has been restored when I used NXTGEN energy.From the very beginning talking to steve the consultant in my area who was very knowledgeable and offered to quote like for like so I could compare systems and prices fairly. The purchasing on line was easy and straightforward. Once the permissions were received the installation date was agreed and a few days later Nxtgen scaffolding team arrived bright and early and put up the scaffolding ( on a Saturday). They were great and within 2 hours had the complete scaffold erected. On the Monday the electrical team and panel team arrived to install the system, 11 panels, inverter and 2 batteries and water booster. Harrison,Louie,Craig and Aden worked as a team and installed the complete system in one day. Harrison was very helpfuland commissioned the system and explained how the system worked. These teams are a credit to Nxtgen and were true expert tradesmen. I can highly recommend NXTGEN.

Daniel

12:43 23 May 24

Faultless from start to finish. Couldn't have received a better service!I started looking into solar panels and a battery and stumbled across NXTGEN from Facebook. I reached out to them and dealt with Bobby, Bobby is incredibly knowledgeable and a genuinely nice guy. He answered lots of questions, designed multiple options for me, but most of all he listened and offered his professional opinion.Unlike other companies I spoke to Bobby understood why we wanted solar, why we wanted the givenergy battery and our budget to design a system that would work brilliantly.NXTGEN offered a personal service rather than the generic 4 bed hour is 12 or 16 panels etc, they listen and come up with the best solution.After we settled on the set-up we were passed to Kelly. Kelly handled all the admin side and seemed to always want to help. There were no delays on NXTGENs side and managed to get all our certificates etc quicker than expected.Once it was all agreed, deposit paid etc it came onto the installation.NXTGENs scaffolding arm came and put up the scaffolding on Wednesday, lovely chaps all very polite , respectful and friendly.Thursday the solar team turned up and set straight to work fitting the 20 panels, inverter and battery. Yet again, a lovely bunch of guys who were all polite, respectful and friendly. It was a two day install and they completed it on Friday. They showed me the whole system got it all up and running, apps connected etc.I would genuinely recommend them to everyone and have already passed on their details to my work and friends. They offer a great service at a very competitive price.Solar feels like the new double glazing sales where you get pestered and pushed into options. However that is completely not how NXTGEN operate, they are the complete opposite.We opted for 20 panels, 5kwh inverter and a 9.6kwh battery. While the inverter is slightly undersized, we achieve great energy even in cloudy conditions, we only lose out on super sunny days and it wasn't worth for us to get the bigger more expensive inverter.

Brian Ainger

08:43 01 May 24

Choosing a solar installer is a nightmare, we are so glad that we found NXTGEN. From the initial contact with Steve, the quote from Bobby and the installation by Connor and his team this has been seamless and stress free. They supplied quality equipment at a reasonable price, excellent technical knowledge and advice, all supplied and installed on time. As anyone knows its so difficult to choose a company as there are so many pitfalls , we cannot recommend NXTGEN highly enough so pleased we chose you.

Marcin Gajdowski

21:36 08 Apr 24

I am very happy with the solar panels and battery system. Excellent customer services, Instalation. Highly recommend

Martin Yeung

11:14 31 Mar 24

Fantastic experience from start to finish ! Bobby was extremely helpful and always available to answer any questionsThe guys that came to fit were polite and tidied up after themselves, we couldn't have asked for more.From start to finish it was done within a week... so no hanging about like waiting weeks or months and getting stressed.. so all in all, im very happy to have chosen NXT GEN

Martin Pattinson

15:09 26 Mar 24

We initially used NxtGen for our consultation and this went really well. NxtGen then subcontracted to Cozy Energy, which again was fine. The installation went well. It was then that things started to go awry. Cozy failed to supply us with a guarantee, MPAN or MCS certificate. Over a period of approximately six months, we were promised that "this was being dealt with", or "someone would get back to us", but nothing was resolved. It was then that we re contacted NxtGen and they could not have been more helpful. Whilst it did take a while, all of the issues have been resolved and Kelly at NxtGen could not have been more helpful. I would thoroughly recommend NxtGen.

Luke Brassington

11:27 26 Mar 24

Really happy to give the NxtGen team a 5-star review.Stuart on the sales team was fantastic in the build up, Kelly in the office was always there to support and the team who did the install were fantastic (and even interacted with my very interested children)Very happy with the whole process

Rob Jones

07:59 14 Mar 24

After some initial hiccups, really pleased with the service from nxtgen, specially Kelly who smoothed everything out

Malcolm Tait

10:51 08 Nov 23

Very good customer service all the way and they provide a great all round solar installation provision. Glad we used them from start to finish and after care👍.

Silnicorp Web Design

15:56 17 Oct 23

Excellent price and service. Would recommend for sure.

frank eden

08:24 02 Oct 23

If your in the market for a Solar installation then I can really highly recommend Nxtgen.We researched the technology and got several quotes from other companies most of which were located much closer to us.Nxtgen came out on top on price , specification and delivery.Once we made the decision to proceed the whole process took less than a week from placing the order to complete installation.The scaffold was erected at the front and back of our house on the Wednesday,on the Thursday the installation team arrived at 8.30 sharp , having driven from Essex to Oxfordshire, (which is about a 3 hour drive) and after a quick cup of tea the 3 chaps got straight to work, by the end of the day the whole system was in place and commissioned and up and running. To install 6 panels on front roof plus 6 panels on the back roof CW birdguard with the inverter and battery in the loft,They tidied up and left around 7 in the evening with another 3 HR drive in front of them I have to say they did a fantastic job , I take my hat off to them, they are a credit to Nxtgen.Darren and Kelley from the Sales and admin team at Nxtgen are very helpful and accomodating and made the whole process very easy with prompt responses to any queries we have had along the way,although it's early days and the system only 2 days old the savings are already racking up.Well pleased , I'd post 6 stars if I could, well done Nxtgen

Ash V

09:13 14 Jul 23

A wonderfully efficient installation with a genuine pre-quote discussion of my needs prior to offering advice on the best solution to meet them. Very happy with the service.

Matt Alexander

10:37 15 Jun 23

I chose NxtGen to install our solar and battery system having received 12 quotes from various companies and couldn’t be happier with either the service or the resulting system.I work in the renewables industry and so came to my own project with a reasonable amount of knowledge, not that I made that clear to any of the installers who called me back.I had spoken with 7 installers by the time Stuart at NxtGen called me, and it was immediately obvious that I was speaking to someone knowledgeable, honest and who was genuinely interested in designing a system specific to my own needs and preferences.Having reviewed all 12 quotes, NxtGen was jumped out above all others based on knowledge, helpfulness, quality of the kit being offered and even price. I wouldn’t have picked a quote based purely on price, but the fact NxtGen was also the most competitive of the 12 I had received meant a great deal.I was kept informed throughout the whole process, Stuart responding quickly and usefully to all my email queries. Once contracts had been signed, Kelly picked up the baton and gave me regular updates on our DNO notification, all the way through to the installation.With DNO approval in hand, we waited just 10 days for the scaffolding to be put up, which was done within a couple of hours and to a very high standard. Plenty of care was taken to protect our new patio, and I was left confident in a job well done.Installation happened just a few days later, and again, it couldn’t have gone any smoother. The 3 installers were all helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and keen to do a good job. The work has been completed to a very high standard, with all wiring very neatly finished and the panels tightly aligned to the exact centre of our roof. The inverter and batteries were also installed incredibly neatly, with all cables hidden. The installers did a great job tidying up on the day and the left us with nothing other than a very positive experience.I was genuinely hopeful that the brilliant first impression I got when I spoke with Stuart would be reflected throughout the entire install, and so I’m beyond delighted that proved to very much be the case.Stuart, Kelly, the scaffolders and the installers should take a great deal of pride in being part of such an excellent team.Thank you to the whole team, I couldn’t be happier and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend NxtGen.

Jill Harrison

18:09 08 May 23

We had Stuart as a project manager who was super. We had solar panels and a house battery fitted and they are excellent. The process was quick and professional and Stuart was super responsive to any questions or emails I sent. The electricians were also excellent. Thank you

Alastair Aston

12:26 24 Apr 23

Great experience on a 7KW solar installation in Hampshire. I sought quotes from many installers beforehand and this was one of the most reasonable. (theres a lot of opportunists out there who'll happily charge a few K more!) Really good decision - Sean managed the whole process end to end, great communication & a quality job that looks great and delivers ample power. Much recommended to anyone taking their first step on the Solar journey.

Joe Fletcher

17:36 04 Apr 23

Like most people I sat other fence for aged, I only wish I had jumped months ago. NXT GEN were by far te out competitive qoute that fulfilled my requirements.Sean arranged installation quickly without any hassle or pressure, the installation was done in one day by a very knowledgeable skilled team who just got on with installing the system.Totally happy with how it's been so far as it's only been 6 days sonce installation yet I've already seen substantial savings on electricity costs.My advice would be just give NXT GEN a call when seeking quotes.

Ronald Wagg

15:58 30 Mar 23

With the energy crisis starting to bite (autumn 2022). We did some research on the various options available we decided that we wanted to install solar panels to ease our energy bills. We obtained three quotes. Nxtgenenergy ticked all of the boxes as far as we were concerned and did happen to be the cheapest. We were helped all the way from quotation to the final installation by Stuart and Sean and at no time did we feel under any pressure. As the system was only installed two days ago we have yet to discover the full potential of the system, but we are encouraged by the performance seen so far. I will be honest and say that my prime concern is to save money, I am sure that my installation will not save the planet. From the projections given to me by Stuart I may be able to achieve a return on my investment of up to 10% per year compared to the small returns I could get if I kept my money invested elsewhere.I look forward to monitoring the system performance over the coming months / years.

Derek Southgate

20:26 23 Jan 23

Really positive experience with Nxtgen. In danger of becoming a solar power evangelist. We needed our roof replaced as well and they handled everything. New roof is first class and I can't stop looking at the app to see how much we are generating. Sean made the system selection clear. Already considering another battery!

Victor Simonis

15:06 05 Sep 22

I dealt with Sean at NXTGen over a six month period due to a complicated installation. I only have praise for Sean who kept to his word throughout the entire job which is now running satisfactorily. I recommend this company amidst the many that are in the same business knowing you will be supported through the planning and installation stages.

Clive West

13:00 24 Aug 22

In looking to install solar and battery this year, Nxtgen were by far the most responsive and helpful company. They had a lot of options compared to other companies, which is good but worth swatting up before so you know whats, what. Ended up with a good sized system, inc battery storage, installed quickly at a good price that so far is working well. This is impressive as demand is so high for this at present, some companies wait lists are months and months!

Geoff Doggett

14:19 25 Jul 22

I had a solar installation planned and installed in March 2022. The quotation was accurate and understandable and so I went ahead. The installers were quick and did a good job including the electrical work and inverter/battery installation. The system has been working well according to the app I have. I wholeheaartedly reccommend Next Generation - they are experienced and their customer care is excellent. Good to know I am in safe hands in the future!

Rick Exton

10:23 25 Jul 22

Great system installed and working perfectly as expected. System design was changed at my request numerous times effortlessly. On day of install engineer suggested better location (loft) for inverter and battery pack meaning no unsightly cables were seen. Great customer service throughout. Getting MCS certification was a bit slow but not the fault of the company. I would definately recommend. Great company and top spec system at a good price.

Dawn Morton

09:17 22 Jul 22

From start to finish this company's professional standards were excellent. Once the acquisition of the materials had been confirmed, the installation and customer service was fantastic and would highly recommend.

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