100th School receives solar
Tuesday 22nd July, 2008: The Co-operative today challenged big business and the Government to help fit every school in the UK with a green energy source by 2020.
The Co-operative made the call at Peacehaven Community School, East Sussex, the 100th to receive solar panels as part of its Green Energy for Schools initiative, the largest solar education project in the UK.
Under the scheme, the panels, which cost more than £20,000 to erect, are half funded through the Government’s Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) with the Co-operative financing the other 50 per cent, at a cost of £1m to date. The solar programme has been managed by the Co-operative’s project partner Solarcentury, and its Solar4Schools team.
Each system is expected to generate more than 3,400 units of electricity, powering over 18 computers, or 33 thousand hours of computer use, at each school every year.
Having completed the first phase of the scheme, the Co-operative is now announcing it will invest a further £1m for renewable technologies in schools, and is extending its support to cover Ground Source Heat Pumps, Biomass Boilers and Wind Turbines, as well as solar panels.
It has been calculated that if all 25,000 schools in the England fitted solar panels, for instance, 48,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions would be saved annually. This is the equivalent CO2 emissions of over 13 thousand car journeys from London to Sydney, or driving 145 million miles.
As well as saving CO2 emissions, the solar panels could be worth about £550 a year to each school. The electricity generated would save about £350 whilst from next year the school could expect to earn around £200 as a green energy generator.
Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks, MP, said: "This is a real success story for the Government's Low Carbon Buildings Programme. Peacehaven Community School will now benefit from a reduction in fuel bills, the profits from any excess electricity generated and the knowledge it is helping in the fight against climate change."
Derry Newman, CEO of Solarcentury commented: “The 100th project completed by Solarcentury and the Co-operative represents an important milestone in education here in the UK, proving that private partnerships can get clean energy into schools quickly. Schools are great candidates for solar energy, not least because they are mainly occupied during the day when the solar systems are producing their highest output - and - more significantly, if children growing up see solar energy working and powering their school, the next generation will grow-up believing renewable energy is the norm rather than an exception.”
He adds: "There are still more than 20,000 schools without any renewable energy source. Let’s choose to change that with more businesses joining with the Co-operative to create a better, clean energy future."
Schools interested in applying for the Co-operative Green Energy for schools programme should apply here: www.co-operative.coop/greenenergyforschools. Further information on solar in schools at www.solar4schools.co.uk.