Guest feature: why more schools are going solar

The following is a guest article from The Green Way Solar, one of the approved suppliers on CPC's updated Minor Works Dynamic Purchasing System, servicing its Sustainability and Energy Efficiency lot, as well as Plumbing and Drains Repair...

There’s something special about arriving early at a school on installation day.

The playground is quiet, the morning light catches the panels just right... you can almost feel the future taking shape.

Across the UK, hundreds of schools are beginning their own clean energy journeys.

The motivation is simple - to control rising energy costs, meet sustainability targets and show pupils that climate action isn’t just something they read about, it’s something they can see every day, above their heads.

At St Mary’s School in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, solar has already started paying dividends.

Panels now power classrooms, computers and canteen lights, using nothing but daylight.

It’s a visible lesson in sustainability, one that resonates far beyond the school gates.

The monitoring system installed shows how much power is being generated each day and this has sparked real conversations about climate change and energy use amongst children and staff.

The numbers speak for themselves. Typical solar installations can:

• Cut annual electricity bills by up to 60%

• Deliver an ROI within five to seven years, depending on site usage and orientation

• Offset 15 to 25 tonnes of CO₂ per year, the equivalent of planting over 1,000 trees annually

• Operate for 25 to 30 years, with minimal maintenance and performance warranties built in

Maintenance plays a key role, too. Regular inspections, inverter checks and system cleaning protects long-term output, ensuring schools keep saving money, year after year.

But for many in education, this transition isn’t just financial, it’s moral.

Schools are uniquely placed to inspire behavioural change, to turn sustainability from a buzzword into a daily practice.

That’s why, at The Green Way Solar, our focus extends beyond the panels.

We see every project as part of a wider legacy, cleaner air, smarter spending and a generation who understands the value of renewable energy, not from textbooks, but from experience.

Because sustainability doesn’t start in the boardroom or the classroom.

It starts with people who care enough to make the change.

Read on for more on our 2025 CPC Minor Works DPS, of which The Green Way Solar are among the authorised suppliers.