Schools: have you thought about solar panels?

Discover how school energy costs may be improved through the installation of solar panels.

Solar panels can offer a reliable, long-term energy solution for schools that may reduce their electricity bills, reduce carbon emissions and provide schools with an alternative income. There are two different approaches for solar panels:

1-      where the solar company installs solar panels on the school’s roofs (or somewhere else) at their own cost. The energy would belong to the solar company, and they would then sell the energy to the school at a cheaper rate than standard energy providers.

2-      where the school pays for the cost of installing the solar panels on the roof (or elsewhere), in which case the school owns the energy created by the solar panels and can either use batteries to store or sell the surplus of energy to the grid. In this instance, there may be additional costs for installing batteries.

This is a financial investment for schools, but over the long term, they could benefit from lower energy bills and possibly gain a modest income. However, before embarking on a solar scheme, schools should obtain independent advice on their options and the potential benefits to their particular school, i.e. not rely on the pitch from a cold calling solar company. Schools should also seek independent legal advice on legal arrangements to ensure that the transaction is commercially prudent and to protect their interests.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of this article further, please contact our Education team on 0113 244 6100.

You can also keep up to date by following Wrigleys Solicitors on LinkedIn. The information in this article is necessarily of a general nature.

Specific advice should be sought for specific situations. If you have any queries or need any legal advice, please feel free to contact Wrigleys Solicitors.