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

Community Owned Solar for

Brighton & Hove Schools

in 2019 Brighton Energy Coop rolled out a programme of free solar on our city’s schools.

Our host schools 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 and Hove schools was a great community effort. Have a look below for the full list of schools involved, and how it works.

We put solar on:

Woodingdean Primary

Coldean Primary

Carden Primary

Hove Park Upper School

Hertford Juniors and Infants

Balfour Juniors

Lindfield Primary

Rudyard Kipling Primary

Blatchington Mill School

Lindfield Primary

Hove Park Lower School

Desmond Anderson Primary

Ore Valley College

Hillborw Sports Centre, part of the University of Brighton – no cost solar PV installation by Brighton Energy Coop – 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!