Despite only having been installed a few weeks ago, the solar panels at St John’s School in Lacey Green are already saving money!
The primary school is the first in the Oxford Diocesan Bucks School Trust to introduce solar energy along with batteries to store the power for peak times and cloudy days. The 32 panels will generate savings of around £12K each school year, as Operations Manager Dave Bundock put it: “It is the difference between having a teaching assistant and not having a teaching assistant.”
The project has been 18 months in the making as Dave monitored the school’s energy consumption to determine the type of system which would be the most cost effective for the school. He also needed to raise the £48,000 needed to fund the scheme, which came via the St John’s Church School Fund.
The panels were fitted in five days and the school held a solar day to celebrate the milestone. The school’s eco council have been involved and science and geography lessons have already been enhanced by the real-life example the students have to hand.
Dave added: “The batteries give us great flexibility to store power for rainy days. Also, as a school, our energy consumption is low during the summer months when we can generate the most power to sell back to suppliers.
“Things are tough for us financially, and we are not alone in that. As a rural school with fewer students we receive a lower government grant. We are also fortunate we do not see the same levels of deprivation as some urban schools but that means we cannot access the same funding streams they do.”
A live information panel shows in real time how much electricity is being generated, how much the school is using and how much is being stored in the batteries.
Headteacher at St John's School Becky Wright said: ““The whole project is a win/win for the school. We are able to source our energy sustainably as well as funds which can benefit students in another way. Added to that we have already seen the educational benefits, with the whole school contributing to solar day with artwork, poems and creative science projects.”
And Dave is not resting on his laurels. He said: “We are a pioneering school, so I’m looking at other options for sustainable energy.”
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