A primary school in Pembrokeshire, Wales will become the first of 100 schools to introduce solar energy to its facility. The Tavernspite School, located outside Whitland, has been gifted with solar panels worth £20,000. The panels are expected to save two tonnes of CO2 emissions and produce 3,000k of energy per year. The only other school to participate in the scheme thus far is the Ferndale Infants School in Rhondda.
The Green Energy for Schools scheme is a jointly funded programme administered by the Co-operative Group and the UK government.
The solar panels were installed earlier this year and have been monitored by students. The output from the panels can be viewed via an output device mounted on an inside wall of the school.
Tavarnspite was the perfect choice to introduce the programme since it already has programmes designed to make the school as eco-friendly as possible.
Teacher Julie Halton said: “We compost food waste, paper, paper towels.
“We recycle papers, recycle batteries, ink cartridges, we recycle phones for ‘Phones for Schools’ campaign which earns us points to spend in Argos, and cash.
“It extends to things like growing our own vegetables in the nature garden.
“We had a recycled Christmas one year where we cancelled Christmas cards and everyone had singing greetings instead.”
Head teacher Kevin Phelps said believes that school will be saving money and may even be able to make money as well
“The aim is for long periods like summer holidays, when the children aren’t here and the building isn’t in use, that we’re able to save the power and indeed sell it back so it should create some sort of income for us as well,” said Phelps.
For more information, log on to: ase.org/greenschools
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