Three schools in the borough’s Low Carbon Zone have celebrated the installation of solar panels on their buildings, thanks to grants from the Council and British Gas.
A special assembly was held on Friday morning (21 January) at the Russell School for teachers and pupils to mark the switching on of the panels which will help the schools to save around £30,000 each in energy costs during their lifetime.
Cllr Virginia Morris, Richmond Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “I’m very pleased to see the money we have put into the Low Carbon Zone is having a tangible effect by helping our local schools to save funds. I’m sure these panels will also help children learn first-hand about saving energy by thinking carefully about how their family uses electrical goods at home.”
Darren Harrison, headteacher of the Russell School said: “I am very happy to have our solar PV panels generating electricity for our school and hence reducing our carbon footprint. It is wonderful for the children to see the digital display which reveals how much carbon we have saved as well as how much electricity we have generated. Being able to inform the children that we are currently saving enough electricity to power all the lights in our junior building is very tangible to them.
“Our next step is to have a web box fitted which will allow us to monitor the solar panels’ data within the classroom. This will enable the data to be used within lessons and highlight regularly the importance of reducing our carbon footprint. I must thank British Gas and Richmond Council for helping to realise this initiative.”
As well as The Russell School, Meadlands and Strathmore have also had solar panels installed. Each school is expected to save around £1,300 per year as a result of installing their solar panels.
