Watts aren’t the only energy generated from solar panels! They can have a significant impact inspiring minds too, and no solar energy system has more potential for this than one built on a school roof.
Solar panels for schools are a Joju Solar speciality. We have installed hundreds of solar schools and with our help, many schools have turned their roofs into a source of new income, and a fresh new educational resource for students and parents alike. It’s some of the most rewarding work we do.
We’ve been the installation partner of choice for major UK solar schools programmes including Hampshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Community Energy, the Schools’ Energy Coop, 10:10 Solar Schools, Friends of the Earth ‘Run on Sun’, Wey Valley Solar Schools, the Low Carbon Hub and Egni Coop. Many of these projects are financed by the local community, so the installation doesn’t cost the school a penny
“The installation of solar panels at Gorringe has not only had a beneficial educational effect on the students, it has also saved us several thousnad pounds"
““Joju Solar installed over 170 kWp of solar panels in under 2 months on challenging school sites across the London Borough of Merton. All stages of the process from planning to install were excellent and we have received high praise from the sites themselves about the way their teams worked on site”
“As a school we feel incredibly proud to be doing our utmost to reduce our Carbon Footprint. It is incredible to consider we are the largest Solar Roof Project on a Primary School in Oxfordshire. It has been an invaluable exercise in educating our pupils for the future on the importance for us all to explore the possibility of using renewable resources for our energy. Thank you Joju!”
Solar on your school buildings demonstrates a clear commitment to a sustainable energy future, and the students can feel proud that their school is ‘walking the walk’. A school solar array is visible proof that this technology works – cleanly and silently too, and a major solar panel project can be a real source of inspiration to students.
Teachers can integrate solar power education into many aspects of the curriculum:
We connect our school solar power systems to a smart generation meter. This meter logs all electricity produced to a centralised portal, every 15 minutes. The school will have access to this portal, and teachers can download the high-resolution numerical datasets for use in their lessons.
Many of the schools we work with have also opted to have a display board installed somewhere public in the school. This board gives real-time information on the electricity produced so that students can relate this to the weather outside. It also shows the total generation and the amount of carbon that has been saved by the schools solar panels.
When it comes to funding, we’ve teamed up with some of the largest community energy groups in the country to deliver solar schools programmes.
Community energy groups raise finance within their local community to pay for the solar installation, so the school doesn’t have to spend a penny. The electricity produced is then sold to the school at a subsidised rate. So, if the school was paying 22p/kWh for their electricity, the community group would sell power to the school for about 19p/kWh, giving the school immediate bill savings of 25%. Selling the electricity to the school in this way is enough to pay back the investors over time. It also generates a small surplus over time that can fund further environmental projects within the local area. And we’re sure your students will have loads of great ideas for these kinds of projects!
We can help to arrange funding from partners like the Schools Energy Coop, or through more local partners like Wey Valley Energy Coop in Surrey, NLCE in North Lincolnshire, or the Low Carbon Hub in Oxfordshire. We can work at any scale, from individual schools to Academy chains, or even the entire portfolio of a local council.
It’s not just solar panels – we do also offer other green technologies for schools.
It is possible to install battery storage in schools, which can act as a further exemplar of green technology to the students. Turners Hill Primary School, for example, installed batteries and has reduced their electricity demand to zero for much of the year. However, because schools are mainly in use during the day, they can benefit directly from solar without the need for a battery.
We will see increased demand for EV charge points for schools over the coming decade. Teachers and parents will want to drive their electric cars to school and be able to charge up, as they would do at any workplace.
Interestingly, a bank of EV charge points in schools could even potentially become a community car charging hub, serving residents who don’t have driveways (and therefore charge points) of their own. Schools could use their position as a focal point in the community to provide clean electric mobility to their neighbours, when it otherwise might not be possible.
Learn how solar reduces energy costs and lowers carbon emissions, creating meaningful educational opportunities for students. Discover more about community energy and EV charging too…
Discover more examples of how solar is benefitting schools, universities, and other public sector organisations
Raise finance for your school solar roof from local community energy groups. Discover more about this cooperative movement.
Like any workplace, schools will need electric vehicle charge points to serve teachers and parents. Explore your requirements with us.
