How can universities benefit from solar?

It’s not just domestic homes and large-scale businesses benefitting from solar PV. Solar for education has become huge over the past few years, with the demand for solar for higher education and primary schools growing year-on-year. With benefits including a reduction in energy bills, green future, and an opportunity to earn some cash too, it’s no wonder so many educational establishments are turning to solar.

One Bristol university beats solar records

One of the latest higher educational establishments to jump on-board the renewable energy bandwagon is The University of the West of England. The university, located in Bristol, is set to install the UK’s largest higher education rooftop solar array – and we hope many will follow. The capacity of the new solar array will be 450 kWp and will produce more than 400 MWh of electricity each year.

The benefits of this new solar array, as listed by the university, include:

• Savings of up to £55,000 per year
• Payback period of just 12 years
• Meeting the energy requirements of half of the two facilities’ total demand
• A sustainable future
• Carbon reduction

The university hopes to take their renewable energy goals even further by developing a CHP system on-site too. This will provide renewable heat to all campus buildings, the Student’s Union, and student accommodation.

Low carbon solutions for educational establishments

At Low Carbon Energy, we’ve worked with a number of primary schools and further education colleges – installing our renewable energy solutions.

At St Michael’s CE Primary, we installed a 30 KW solar PV system, which saved the school money while also saving 14 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Burnley College took on our services on a much larger scale with a huge 150 KW solar PV system. The switch to solar not only helped the college meet its sustainability and green goals, it also helped them save on budgets while ensuring an annual FIT income of £14,000.

If solar for education has inspired you, why not get in touch with the Low Carbon Energy team today? We can talk you through the options we have available and explain all the benefits, which include:

• Guaranteed savings on your school / university’s energy bills
• Great way to make your educational establishment more eco-friendly
• Additional educational offerings, just for schools – including free renewable energy workshops for pupils.

There are also exclusive funding opportunities available for schools, including Free Solar for Schools and Energy Efficient Financing. Visit our Ways to Pay page to find out more.

If your school or educational establishment is considering solar, why not team a solar solution with one of our other renewable energy services? Our Infrared Heating is ideal for schools – offering cheaper, warmer energy, guaranteed to keep classrooms at their optimum temperature in winter.

Do you work in an educational establishment? If so, what measures has your establishment put in place to support a greener, low-carbon future? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @LowCarbonEnCo