A headteacher in Worsley says she is delighted after finding out her school will have solar panels installed as part of a government scheme.
Christ the King Roman Catholic Primary School is one of four schools in Salford that will benefit from a share of £100 million worth of funding from Great British Energy for solar panels and other energy efficiency methods.
GB Energy is a publicly-owned and independently operated renewable energy company which has committed to reinvesting any profits made, and 255 schools across Britain have signed a provisional agreement to be part of the firm’s solar rollout.
The Albion Academy in Pendleton, Dukesgate Academy in Little Hulton and Co-op Academy Swinton will all hope to turn substantial profits by selling excess power to the grid, which will be passed on to fund students’ education.
The government say a rise in energy bills, which continue to eat into school budgets, can be blamed on the UK’s dependence on global fossil fuel markets. They feel enabling schools to generate their own electricity will save millions, “far more than installation costs.”
They announced that 23 schools have already installed Great British Energy solar panels and are cutting their costs.
Nicola Malone, Head Teacher of Christ the King Roman Catholic Primary School, was over the moon to find out her Worsley school had been provisionally accepted onto the programme.
She said: “We are very proud that Christ the King is benefiting from the Great British Energy Solar Partnership programme.
“The solar installation will make a lasting difference for our school, whilst showing our children the value of sustainability and emphasising our shared responsibility for the world around us.”
Energy Minister Michael Shanks believes the clean energy drive will “mean more money for textbooks and technology.”
He explained: Across the country, solar panels are going up on rooftops to power classrooms with clean, homegrown power.
This is our clean energy superpower mission in action, protecting our public services with lower bills and energy security.
Great British Energy’s CEO, Dan McGrail, said: “Great British Energy’s ongoing solar rollout delivers tangible benefits to the people that need it most in our hospitals and schools.
This not only provides clean energy to communities, it also ensures that the public own and benefit from these projects through energy security, good jobs and above all, real tangible local outcomes such as more funds to support teaching and health.”
Education Minister Josh MacAlister said: ”Solar panels are slashing schools’ energy bills by thousands of pounds year after year, with the money going straight back into the textbooks and resources pupils need to succeed.
“This is part of our wider work to drive national renewal, rebuilding more than 750 schools in every corner of the country.”
The full list of schools set to benefit from the Governemnt’s clean energy funding rollout can be viewed here.
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