Schools in Nottingham are opting to create their own energy through solar panels in order to cut down on energy costs.
The Carrington Primary School has been short-listed for a national renewable community energy project competition that, if won, would mean it would receive £400,000 from the M&S Community Energy Fund.
The school has now launched a campaign and is hoping to receive support within the local community to help them win the competition.
The children on the school’s council have wanted to install the panels for a long time as they will help the school to generate revenue for a minimum of twenty years.
Parents of pupils including dad Hamish Elliot are helping out with the campaign.
Hamish said: “Renewable energy is definitely something that is growing and it’s important that everybody starts to learn a little bit more about renewable energy and the positive benefits it can have and school is an obvious place to start that message by trying to inspire the children to understand the need for alternative means of generating electricity.”
One school that has already made the change to solar panels is The Nottingham Emmanuel School.
Located in West Bridgford, the Academy had over 1,200 solar panels fitted to its roof during the summer holidays which will generate up to 250kW of electricity per year, the same amount of energy required to power 83 homes.
Barry Willing, Facilities Manager at the school said: “We hope the solar panels will generate at least a quarter of our energy but with it being the new technology were hoping it might produce a bit more for us.
“There’s the obvious financial benefit, we’re also saving the planet because we’re reducing our co2 emissions by 93 tonnes per year and it’s also good for students. They can use it as part of lessons, so all round benefits really.”
