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electricity and the wind farm’s low and stable operating costs. When market prices are high, savings will be high. When the market price is lower, savings fall too. The net effect will be to help stabilise bills. Electricity will be supplied through
the grid by Ripple Energy’s utility partners. Members are able to generate more power than they use, as the cap on ownership is equivalent to 120% of their consumption. Ripple’s first wind farm won
Inspirational Co-op of the Year 2021. Construction on Kirk Hill began this summer and it is expected to switch on in late 2023. The wind farm will provide a community benefit fund of £94,000 a year, likely to focus on fuel poverty actions or environmental projects. Reservations for Ripple’s third project opened in May, and more than 1,000 people signed up.
RENEW YOUR ENERGY
Soaring energy bills mean schools are urgently looking to improve efficiency and invest in renewables for long-term savings. We take a look at the emerging options
With headteachers warning that the exponential rise in energy costs will impact education budgets, the case for switching to greener and more efficient energy products is stronger than ever. Indeed, as evidenced by our windfarm story (above), many schools are taking big steps towards net zero with innovative technologies. The Public Sector Decarbonisation
Scheme (PSDS) will possibly become a more realistic option for schools, now that caps on how Salix funding is allocated across sector categories are being piloted (read more in Decarbonise Your School on page 37). What’s more, renewable technology
is advancing all the time, making investment in innovative products ever more logical and affordable. As FundEd reported in our Autumn 2021 issue, there are many opportunities for schools to install solar panels with no upfront costs through power purchase agreements with not-for-profit community energy providers (see
FundEd.org.uk’s Advice Hub and look out for local solar cooperatives). Additionally, a new generation of solar products is opening up opportunities for schools to go net zero at no cost, says Kevin Yardley of Grid 2.0, an energy infrastructure company created by the founders of Net Zero Buildings. ‘Solar technology has become
extraordinarily effective at capturing and converting the sun’s energy, even in ambient light or shady conditions,’ says Yardley. ‘That opens up the possibility for many more buildings to have solar installations that generate energy at the micro level. Instead of huge, centralised power suppliers, we’re looking at a
community-based energy network of local micro grids that are carbon neutral and self-sustaining.’ Grid 2.0 is pioneering the use of
solar panels that double up as cladding (making buildings energy positive) at a new community centre in London. The company is now in the process
of installing cutting-edge solar-clad classrooms at its first group of schools. Manufactured off site, an energy positive double classroom will generate up to 21,000 kWh per year, with part-purchase and cashback options available. Another technology is the solar
catcher PV canopy roof that provides a direct green power source for EV charging. The units take two days to install and can be moved if required. For schools, this is not only a source of cheap electricity for the next 25 years, but it could also provide an income share from a charging levy, says Kevin Yardley. n See
grid2.co.uk
[continued on p36] ›
34 AUTUMN 2022 FundEd
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