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‘We’ve invested in a wind farm to power our school’
T
he winds of change are blowing through Bishop Cornish CofE Primary School in Saltash, Cornwall, as it moves
towards net zero. To secure affordable renewable energy for the future, the school’s charity has purchased part- ownership of a new Scottish wind farm. It’s a move that will see the school save an estimated £235,000 on electricity bills and 802 tonnes of CO2
The school and pre-school, with
242 pupils aged two to 11, will have electricity supplied by the cooperative wind farm project which is being developed by Ripple Energy at Kirk Hill in Ayrshire. Although 500 miles away, the wind farm was an obvious fit for the CoE voluntary aided school, says Sarah Adkins, chair of trustees, at the Bishop Cornish Education Centre Charity. ‘Bishop Cornish has a track record of
(the equivalent of planting 33,000
trees) over the 25-year lifetime of the wind farm. For headteacher Tracey Fletcher, the
investment is much more than the welcome savings on energy bills. ‘We will be able to provide our children with the understanding and knowledge that they too can make a difference to a global climate crisis,’ she says.
sustainable initiatives: it was the first “Zero to Landfill” school in Cornwall and also has solar PV panels. Previously, our charity raised £400,000 to build an award-winning energy-efficient timber frame and straw bale eco-education centre for the school and community. This was partly funded by a grant from the Landfill Communities Fund, and supported by pupil fundraising,
community donations of materials and charity savings. ‘The wind farm part-purchase,
using £66,000 of the charity’s saved investments, is an important milestone in the school achieving its net zero goal. I work as an environmental solicitor, with expertise in the renewable energy sector, so was able to ensure that the board undertook comprehensive due diligence before we went ahead.’ Bishop Cornish School is joined by 18
businesses and more than 5,600 individuals investing in the Kirk Hill wind farm co-op, raising a total of £13.2m. Members will be able to stabilise their electricity bills, with savings based on their share of the energy generated. These savings (and rebates) will reflect the difference between the wholesale market price for
FundEd AUTUMN 2022 33
IMAGES: RUDZHAN NAGIEV/
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