From pilot to national programme: what school solar must deliver

Date will show here once published (if set) Anna Hammond

With the Government’s announcement last week to pilot more solar on schools - and with standard contracts and professional whole-life management - every suitable school should finally have an easier route to solar.

Here’s our Founder, Robert Schrimpff’s response to the announcement...

With the Government’s announcement last week to pilot more solar on schools - and with standard contracts and professional whole-life management - every suitable school should finally have an easier route to solar.

Here’s our Founder, Robert Schrimpff’s response to the announcement...

Martin Foulkes, one of Solar for Schools regional educators at a recent visit to Adderley Primary in Birmingham

“The Government’s announcement made on 16 July is an important step towards making solar a normal part of every suitable school estate. It combines a further grant-funded wave with a 150-school private-finance pilot and, crucially, signals a route towards wider access from 2027-28"
Robert Schrimpff - CEO and Founder, Solar for Schools

With expected collective savings in energy bills of £220m over the lifetime of their solar panels, the initial 150 schools in the pilot have a lot to gain. But not everyone will benefit equally. The new grant-funded projects and the 150-school PPA pilot are initially focused on Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the South East, see map below:

Map of DfE funding region — Map of the DfE PPA pilot region

What changes nationally?

Following concerns around PPAs (or Power Purchase Agreements) in 2025, the DfE has found a way to make PPAs meet UK Treasury requirements.

There will be a pause on DfE legal sign-offs on PPA’s during an approximately two month review period (more details). Once finalised, official DfE PPA and roof-lease contracts should become the standard route for third-party, private and community-funded solar projects on schools.

That legal clarity on PPAs and a model lease should reduce duplicated legal work, shorten delivery times and make more projects economically viable in future.

Following concerns around PPAs (or Power Purchase Agreements) in 2025, the DfE has found a way to make PPAs meet UK Treasury requirements.

There will be a pause on DfE legal sign-offs on PPA’s during an approximately two month review period (more details). Once finalised, official DfE PPA and roof-lease contracts should become the standard route for third-party, private and community-funded solar projects on schools.

That legal clarity on PPAs and a model lease should reduce duplicated legal work, shorten delivery times and make more projects economically viable in future.

Don't delay...

Our advice is that schools continue any debarbonisation and sustainability plans they have already started. This is because, whilst the news of the latest solar pilot and more grant funding is welcomed and is a positive step, the schools in the programmes will be comparatively few when compared with the numbers of schools in the country (around 23,000).

Those accepted onto the DfE pilot programme will be appointed with a regional development partner to deliver and manage the process for these regions. It’s also important to be aware that most schools suitable for grant funding - based on condition, need and socio-economic factors - are likely to have been contacted already by the Department for Education.

For schools elsewhere, there is no grant or pilot and the savings they can make now from their own projects should not stop their current climate action plans. So we advise these schools - and any schools or Trust with their own plans - to push ahead today with their renewable retrofit plans.

Finally, what is clear is that any third-party financed PV system moving forward will need to use the model Department for Education model lease and PPA.