Cambridgeshire County Council is delivering an innovative renewable energy project at the Babraham Road Park & Ride site. We have employed Equans (formerly known as Bouygues E&S Solutions Limited) to design and construct the Smart Energy Grid project.
The project consists of a 2.5MW (Megawatt) solar photovoltaic (PV) system. This will be installed on canopies covering the majority of the existing car park. The system will power the Babraham Road Park & Ride site and newly installed electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It will provide renewable energy to a local customer via a completed private wire. The project will increase local renewable energy generation. This will enable residents to charge their electric vehicles while they use the transport links provided by the Park & Ride service. It will also generate an ongoing income stream for the County Council.

The project consists of:
- 2.5 MW solar photovoltaic system - equivalent to over 600 average domestic solar installations
- 16x 22kW dual electric vehicle charge points, with an additional 3 single charge points installed in PAS 1899:2022 compliant accessible parking spaces, providing a total of 35 sockets.
- A private wire to a local customer to supply them with renewable energy.
- 65GWh (Gigawatt hours) of renewable electricity forecast to be generated over 30 years.
- Avoids the release of over 5,000 tonnes of CO2 over 30 years, contributing to the delivery of Cambridgeshire’s goal of achieving Net Zero by 2045.
The installation of the solar canopies has been undertaken in three phases. This has assured a minimum of 1,000 car parking spaces are kept available for Park & Ride users throughout the construction programme. Phase 1 of the project was completed in November 2023, Phase 2 in July 2024 and Phase 3 in December 2024. Some further construction activities are taking place around the site (please see the latest project update below for more information). The project is programmed to complete in Spring 2025.
Project update – August 2025
The installation of the solar carports and electric vehicle chargers (not yet operational) was completed in February.
Final works to connect the infrastructure will now be undertaken over August and September – before the start of operation. The EV chargers are expected to be available for use from October.
During these works, the contractor will successively occupy rows of the car park (as per below drawing). Each area will be occupied for around 2 weeks – during which parking bays within this area won’t be available for the public.
We would like to apologise for the inconvenience associated with these works. The construction work has been programmed to minimise inconvenience as far as possible, whilst completing this final stage of the project.
Take care whilst travelling around the site. Please follow the construction signage. This will ensure your own safety, that of other parking users and the contractors completing the works around the site.

Please note dates are indicative only. The plan might be adapted by the contractor.
Electric vehicle chargers
16x 22kW dual electric vehicle chargers are being installed as part of the Smart Energy Grid project. Dual Sockets provide up to 22kW fast charging per socket. This allows two vehicles to charge simultaneously, albeit that the 22kW will be shared between the two. In addition, 3x PAS 1899:2022 compliant charge points will be available in accessible charging parking spaces. More information about how to use the chargers, the price of charging and mechanisms will be shared prior to the completion of the project.