An invitation to schools in Middleton.
We at Middleton Community Power have a vision to make Middleton the School Solar Capital of Greater Manchester.
Alkrington Primary have already had panels installed by Rochdale Council and the Diocese of Salford is funding the panels at our Roman Catholic schools. This means there are 12 more schools where panels could be installed leading to cheaper electricity for the schools and less greenhouse gas emissions for us all.
We do hope you'll want to join us.
How will we do this?
We plan to do this using a community share offer. This allows local people to buy shares in the project and get a good rate of interest on their investments. The school gets cheap electricity while the shares are being paid pack and free electricity afterwards. You can read more detail about the scheme on this page. We will employ professional consultants to plan and conduct the work. Operating this way means that there will be no requirement for the schools to find the funds themselves or to devote staff time to the project.
How does this fit with other plans?
The scheme will align with GMCA's recent School's Guide to Solar PV. This includes a case study of Greater Manchester Community Renewables who have already installed panels at 10 schools using this approach. We will be working in partnership with them and Rochdale Borough Council through their Climate Change Project Officer (Mark Bramah).
What happens next?
We have been successful in submitting an "expression of interest" to the government's new Community Energy Fund and have now been invited to apply for funding for a feasibility study. This will look at how combining solar panels and batteries can offer the most cost-effective solutions (using an estimate of your annual electricity and images of your school roofs available through Google maps). We will also explore whether installing more panels than the schools need can be used to generate cheap electricity for local residents and businesses.
When the feasibility study is complete we will come back and explain it to you (and whoever else is involved in making decisions at your school). It is only then, in possession of all the facts, that you will be asked to decide whether you want to be proceed with the installation).
How can we join in?
All we need at this stage are some basic contact details for your school and some information about how much electricity you use each year.
You can let us know your contact details by sending us an e-mail or filling in the form at this link. We'll then let you know what information to give us about your electricity use.
If you've got any questions then contact Richard at energy@middleton.coop or 07985 151321.
