Portslade Academy – no cost solar PV installation by Brighton Energy Co-op – annual electricity savings (£):

Community Owned Solar for

Brighton & Hove Schools

in 2019 Brighton Energy Co-op rolled out a programme of free solar FOR our city’s schools.

Our host schools & colleges now have free solar panels on their roofs, have cut their carbon emissions and also save significant amounts on their electricity bills. Our pilot project with Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA), has saved 105 tonnes of CO2 since 2016 (the equivalent of planting 350 trees) and saves the Academy £5800 each year.

The rollout of solar PV on Brighton & Hove schools in 2019 was a great community effort. Have a look below for the full list of schools involved, and how it works.

 We have given free solar to 15 schools & colleges: 

Woodingdean Primary

Coldean Primary

Carden Primary 

Hove Park LOWER School 

Hertford Juniors 

Balfour INFANTS AND Juniors  

PORTSLADE ALDRIDGE COMMUNITY ACADEMY 

GBMC  EAST BRIGHTON CAMPUS

GBMC WEST DURRINGTON CAMPUS 

 

Rudyard Kipling Primary

 Blatchington Mill School

Lindfield Primary

Hove Park UPPER School

 WESTDENE PRIMARY

 Desmond Anderson Primary

 Ore Valley College

 GBMC CENTRAL BRIGHTON CAMPUS

GBMC SHOREHAM AIRPORT CAMPUS 

Hillbrow Sports Centre, part of the University of Brighton – zero cost solar PV installation by Brighton Energy Co-op – annual electricity savings (£):

How the BEC Solar Schools Project worked

Since 2010 BEC has raised over £3,000,000 from the local community, and built more than 60 large solar installations. Here’s how it worked for the Schools Project:

Step 1 - Community Funding

We crowd-funded the costs of the school solar PV systems. Our 600+ investor-members receive 5% on their investments – and will do as long as they remain members.

Step 2 - Installation

Our contractors built, commissioned and tested the solar installations, got everything registered and perform any ongoing maintenance.

Step 3 - Benefits

The schools receive ongoing cheap electricity, often saving several thousand pounds a year on their bills – and everyone benefits from reduced CO2 in the atmosphere!