10 years ago last month, our first solar site Glenleigh Park Primary School started generating carbon-free solar electricity. Now, we have installed solar PV system on our 100th building: Bridport Leisure Centre.
In 10 years, we have installed solar PV systems on more than 100 buildings, saving nearly 7,000 tones carbon dioxide (compared to generation by gas). And to cap it all, the last coal fired power station in the UK closed yesterday.
Note that we talk about sites and buildings. In the Co-op’s early days, especially with a lot of primary schools, these were the same thing. However, recently, we have been installing on “sites” with many “buildings” – for example, Wiltshire College has 10 buildings across 3 campus sites.
We have achieved all this with over three and one third million pounds raised from members. Installations have also been supported by £200,000 in grants – mainly the London Community Energy Fund (for London sites), where we have been successful in all seven rounds so far, but also through an Ealing Carbon Offset fund grant.
Glenleigh was our biggest solar site at 150 kW for many years, until January 22nd when Sutton Community Academy was installed at size of 165kW. This remains our biggest single system, however, Wiltshire College’s Lackham Campus is now our biggest site at 226 kW across six buildings. There is 444 kW across all three Wiltshire College campuses. At the other end of the spectrum, our smallest system is 7.5 kW at Drayton Green Primary (Ealing).
So, coming to the number for the financial year, total generation was just over three and a third gigawatt hours, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of more than 1,300 average UK households. This is more than the number of members in the Co-op, so we could say that all member’s electricity consumption is carbon neutral.
Thank you to the board, our member schools, and of course our shareholder members for helping The Schools' Energy Co-operative to reach this point. The work continues!