Free solar for brighton and hove schools

BRIGHTON & HOVE SOLAR SCHOOLS Brighton and Hove City Council have approved contractors to put FREE SOLAR PV on the city’s schools - saving schools up to 50% of their electricity bills

SCHOOLS I GET SET FOR SOLAR

n June 2018, Brighton and Hove City Council approved contractors to install large solar arrays on the rooftops of up to fty of the city's schools.

This exciting idea means Brighton and Hove schools can - at no cost - save many thousands of pounds on their electricity bills via cheap solar electricity, as well as saving tons of CO2 along the way.

Brighton and Hove schools are free to choose whether or not they would like to host solar PV, and who among the approved contractors they would like to undertake the work.

Solar installed will be free, paid for by either community investors or other third parties.

How it Works The Mini-Competition Initially, schools register their interest with the 3 organisations BHCC has approved to carry out the solar work. These organisations then design a potential solar system and estimate savings on electricity bills.

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Installation The contractor builds, commissions and tests the solar installation, gets everything registered and puts in place an ongoing maintenance agreement.

Decision and Investment The school then decides which of the organisations it would like to carry out the work; this contractor then pays for the solar system. As the only communityowned contractor, BEC gets its funds from the investment of local people.

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Bene ts Cheap solar electricity means the School saves thousand of pounds each year; and everyone bene ts from reduced CO2 in the atmosphere!

Case Study: BEC Helps Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) Go Green In 2016 Portslade Alridge Community Acadamy worked with Brighton Energy Coop to built a 100kWp solar system on several PACA roofs. In the rst full year of operation, the solar system at PACA saved the school £5,800 on electricity bills.

Case Study: PACA

Step 1: Assessment On receiving the PACA's interest in a community-owned solar scheme, early in 2016 we commissioned a structural survey of the PACA buildings, and our accredited installation partner designed and costed a potential installation.

Based on PACAs existing electricity spend we then produced a nancial proposal for senior management, estimating the school would save £5000 a year on its electricity bills. After discussion with the board, the school gave the green light.

At no cost to PACA; BEC’s solar PV provides PACA with year-round cheap, green electricity Step 2: Funding Brighton Energy Coop then ran a community share offer to fund the total £82,000 cost of the PACA system. 32 BEC members both old and new invested the required capital within a 3-week period.

£82,000 invested to fund the PACA system - in just 3 weeks!

Step 3: Installation Liaising regularly with PACA management we oversaw the project build with our contractors following the appropriate regulations, signing off risk assessments & method statements agreed by the Facilities Manager. We ensured all the processes covered by the Microgeneration Certi cation Scheme (MCS) were followed and requisite electrical testing performed before commissioning.

Saving thousands on electricity each year means PACA has more money to spend where it matters Step 4: Bene ts In the rst full year of operation the Brighton Energy Coop solar system on PACA’s roof saved the school £5,800 on the school’s electricity bills.

Over the lifetime of the system PACA’s savings will top £100,000, a great achievement between two progressive community organisations.

Balfour Primary School Benfield Primary School Bevendean Primary School Blatchington Mill School Brackenbury Primary School Brighton And Hove Pupil Referral Unit, Cedar Centre Brighton And Hove Pupil Referral Unit, Lynchett Close Brunswick Primary School Carden Primary School Carlton Hill Primary School Cedar Centre Coldean Primary School Coombe Road Primary School Dorothy Stringer School Downs Infant School Downs Junior School Downs Park School Downs View School Elm Grove Primary School Fairlight Primary School Goldstone Primary School Hangleton Primary School Hertford Infant School Hertford Junior School Hillside The installation of solar on fty of Brighton's schools will be a largescale community endeavour. Yet it's important to note that time is of Homewood College the essence: the government subsidy that supports solar energy - the Hove Junior School Feed in Tariff - ends in March 2019. That means we have just a year Hove Park School that's one installation every two weeks.

Longhill School Middle Street Primary School To take advantage of this forward-thinking council initiative, contact Brighton Energy Coop (BEC) on info@brightonenergy.org.uk for more Mile Oak Primary School information.

Moulsecoomb Primary School Patcham High School Patcham Infant School Patcham Junior School Peter Gladwin Primary School Queens Park Primary School Royal Spa Nursery School Rudyard Kipling Primary School Saltdean Primary School St Lukes Primary School St Peter's School Stanford Infant School Stanford Junior School Tarnerland Nursery School The Connected Hub, Tilbury House Varndean School West Blatchington Primary School West Hove Infant School Westdene Primary School Woodingdean Primary School Hangleton Community Centre, Hove Hollingdean Community Centre, Thompson Road, Manor Road Gymnasium, Ovingdean Village Hall, Ovingdean Road Rottingdean Hall, Park Road, Woodingdean Boys Club

TIME TO ACT