Help reduce your school's electricity bills, hit net-zero targets, and bring real-time renewable energy into the curriculum. We arrange the PPA; an institutional funder pays for the system, and the funder's O&M partner maintains it through a Power Purchase Agreement. You simply pay for the power, at a rate lower than the grid.
Solar Powered Schools arranges turnkey Solar Power Purchase Agreements designed specifically for UK education, academy trusts, maintained schools, sixth forms, and independent schools alike.
Material reduction in electricity costs from day one. Fixed-rate power for the contract term protects against future energy price volatility.
Genuine progress against your Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy targets. Verified Scope 2 emissions reductions tracked in real time.
Funded entirely by institutional capital. No impact on school reserves, capital reserves, or DfE budget allocations.
Real-time generation data, classroom dashboards, and physics, geography, and design technology teaching resources included.
A Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is a long-term contract that lets your school benefit from on-site solar PV without any upfront investment, asset management burden, or maintenance liability.
An institutional funder pays for the solar installation. The funder is responsible for the system's operation and maintenance. We coordinate the survey, structure the PPA, and manage the contractor process on your behalf. Your school simply purchases the electricity generated at a pre-agreed, fixed rate, typically 20-40% lower than your current grid tariff, with controlled annual indexation over the agreed PPA term.
At the end of the term, the system can be transferred to the school for £1, extended, or removed at no cost. Either way, your school benefits from 15+ years of fixed, lower-cost, low-carbon energy with zero capital outlay.
We coordinate every step. Your school just provides access and answers a few questions about your energy usage.
We survey your roof or land, review your last 12 months of energy bills, and model production against your consumption profile. Takes around two weeks.
We secure competitive funding from our institutional panel and issue you a proposal with your indicative PPA rate, system specification, and savings forecast.
We coordinate DNO grid connection, planning permission (most school solar is permitted development), and any required structural surveys. You sign the PPA contract.
Installation is scheduled with your facilities team to minimise classroom disruption. System is commissioned, monitoring goes live, and savings start immediately.
The legal structure, financial model, and curriculum integration is tailored to your school type and governance.
Multi-site portfolios, group VAT considerations, and central trust governance. We've structured PPAs across single academies and MATs of 30+ schools.
Read more →Smaller-roof, lower-consumption installations engineered for maintained primaries and academies. Strong fit for curriculum-led sustainability.
Read more →Larger systems, higher consumption profiles, sixth form science integration. Roof + carport + ground mount combinations available.
Read more →Fee-paying schools with longer planning horizons and stronger covenant. Solar PPAs often achieve the best commercial rates in this segment.
Read more →It's how your school demonstrates leadership on climate, equips students with real-world sustainability skills, and protects budgets from grid volatility.
The Department for Education's strategy (April 2022) requires all schools to have a Climate Action Plan by 2025, with implementation through to 2030. Solar PV is one of the most visible and measurable interventions you can deliver. We help you align installation with your Climate Action Plan and provide verified emissions data for reporting.
UK Government targets require schools to play their part in reaching Net Zero by 2050. Beyond compliance, solar PPAs protect against energy market volatility: schools that locked in 5-year wholesale energy contracts in 2019 saw bills double or triple in 2022-2023. Fixed-rate solar PPAs eliminate that risk for the 15-25 year term.
Live solar data dashboards transform abstract concepts into tangible classroom experiences. From measuring weather-dependent generation in primary science to calculating carbon impact in secondary geography, your solar installation becomes a teaching asset. Optional educational signage and parent engagement materials included.
For the full FAQ covering technical, commercial, and educational questions, see our comprehensive FAQ page.
Yes, modern panels generate effectively in UK diffuse light. A south-facing roof in the Midlands typically produces 900-950 kWh per kWp per year. Even northern Scotland projects generate 750+ kWh/kWp.
We carry out a structural survey upfront. If the roof needs work before installation, we can sequence accordingly. Some PPAs can even include roof refurbishment costs in the financial structure.
Installations are scheduled with your facilities team to minimise classroom disruption.
PPA payments are typically subject to standard VAT. Maintained schools and academies can usually recover VAT through their standard mechanisms. We provide detailed VAT guidance during your assessment.
PPAs include clauses for site closure, lease changes, and ownership transfer. Most situations can be handled by transferring the agreement to the successor occupier or via a small buyout.
Most school rooftop solar is permitted development under Class A regulations, no planning application needed. Larger ground-mount or listed building projects may need consent; we coordinate the application.
Send us your school details, we'll send back a no-obligation assessment within 5 working days showing your indicative savings, suitable system size, and PPA rate.
Book a free assessment