Conport education green

In 2007 the Department for Education and Skills announced that new school buildings will only receive government funding if they are designed to produce a zero carbon footprint.

Conport NorthlightTM studios exceed these government requirements when solar panels are added to the south-facing pitched roof. The roof is pitched at an angle to receive maximum sunlight (see diagram above) and optimum free solar energy. No other roof design offers this combination of maximum light from the existing north-facing windows plus free solar energy from the solar panels on the south-facing side.

Schools and colleges can now claim up to 50% of the cost of Solar PV systems from the Government under the “Low Carbon Buildings Programme”. £48 million is available to be used by the end of 2008, of which £19m is set aside for PV projects. Schools can also sell their excess power (particularly that generated during the summer vacation) back to the national grid, adding a welcome bonus for school budgets.

So efficient is the Solar NorthlightTM that, assuming that energy costs will rise in the future as they have in the past 15 years, a solar PV installation on a NorthlightTM building will pay back its costs in less than 12 years.

The solar panels on a 9 x 18m Solar NorthlightTM will generate enough power to run 36 computers at once, saving around £500 a year on electricity costs and over 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide over a lifetime of 25 years+

The PV panels on a Solar NorthlightTM not only will reduce its carbon footprint and electrical lighting requirements but also will provide extra insulation, cooling the building more in the summer and keeping the heat inside in the winter.

Schools and Colleges can currently claim up to 50% of the cost of Solar PV systems from the Government under Phase 2 of the “Low Carbon Buildings Programme”. £48 million is available to be used by end 2008, of which £19m is for PV projects. (For more details please see http://www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk/)

The current Government agreed installed cost of PV systems is £5250 per kilowatt. In the South of England a 1 kilowatt installed system will generate an average of 900 kilowatt hours per year. Depending on the electricity cost which a school or college is paying, power companies will be obliged by Ofgem to buy back electricity at the same price they are charged, or at a maximum discount of 10%.

If a college is paying 6p per kilowatt hour they will therefore save £54 per year for an investment net of grant of £5250/2 = £2,625. This is approximately a 2% return at today’s prices. However it is obvious that in the UK energy prices are on the way up, so this is effectively a 2% return index linked to energy prices. If energy prices increase at the same rate as they have in the last fifteen years a solar PV installation for a college with a 50% grant will pay back its cost in 12 years.

In addition of course a significant benefit is the elimination of carbon dioxide and other pollutants which would have been generated by other power sources, (even though some is produced in the manufacture of the panels). The solar panels will themselves also act as significant extra shading and insulation, cooling the building more in the summer and keeping the heat inside in winter.

All new buildings over a certain size will be required to generate 10% of their predicted energy consumption from renewable resources.
Planners may accept solar PV installations as “Planning Gain”
Schools and Colleges are particularly suited for PV installations as they close during the summer holidays and can sell their solar energy at the most productive time of the year.

Schools have been discussing climate change, recyclying and green issues with pupils for some years now. Many schools have programmes to encourage more pupils to walk to school, recycling, campaigns to save the rainforests, etc.

Installing a building with such impeccable green credentials shows by example that the school is taking the issues seriously and demonstrating by example how we can all take some responsibility for caring for our planet.