The first 11 schools to install rooftop solar PV funded by state-owned energy company Great British Energy are estimated to save £175,000 annually.
All 11 schools have a cumulative installed capacity of 945kWp, each PV installation’s peak capacity ranging from 13kW-256kW. The total annual savings each school will recoup varies based on size of installation.
An £80 million commitment was made by GB Energy in March this year to support around 200 schools to install rooftop solar to power classrooms and operations. Along with £100 million to support hospitals to install rooftop PV, GB Energy estimates that, over a total 400 sites, it will deliver between 70MW and 100MW of solar generation.
The announcement also stated that electricity generated by the solar installations could be sold back to the grid, facilitated by battery energy storage systems (BESS) that the investment could also cover.
Some of the hospitals involved in the scheme will have the largest rooftop installations in the country: the installation at Chesterfield Royal Hospital is estimated to have over 4MW capacity. Others will install ground-mounted solar PV in carparks, rather than on the rooftop.
The full list of schools to have completed installations is available on the government website.
Great British Energy chair Juergen Maier said: “Within 2 months we are seeing schools supported by our scheme having solar panels installed so they can start reaping the rewards of clean energy.”
He added that, as GB Energy scales up, partnering with the public sector will ensure the state-funded company makes “an immediate impact”.
UK-wide, only about 20% of schools have solar panels installed, but estimates cited by the UK government suggest that a typical school could save an average of £25,000 per year by installing the technology.
Late last year, Triodos Bank UK provided a £3 million loan to the Solar for Schools Community Benefit Society (CBS), to use, combined with crowdfunding bond finance, to grow its network of solar-powered schools across the UK.
Solar for Schools CBS owned and operated over 150 rooftop installations at the time the senior debt was allocated, but had over 100 schools on its waiting list.
