Case Study - Flitton and Greenfield - Carbon Challenge School Solar Energy Project

Flitton and Greenfield Carbon Challenge group in Bedfordshire have been awarded £26,520 through the Cut your Carbon competition for their school solar energy project. This is a great example of a community project that raises awareness and reduces carbon emissions at the same time.

The community project is an initiative of the Parish Council and started in January 2008. The school solar energy project is just one of the initiatives that Flitton and Greenfield Carbon Challenge is undertaking to reduce their carbon footprint and aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020.

Spokesperson for the community, Gareth Ellis explains, “The aim of the school solar energy project is to make a significant contribution to reducing the school CO2 emissions, to raise awareness of the wider Carbon Challenge project, to educate pupils, parents, others who use the school facilities and the wider community on the merits of renewable energy systems and finally to act as an exemplar project encouraging others to follow suit.

“The school solar energy project is a photovoltaic array feeding electricity into the school electricity system and exporting when demand is low. It will have an easy to read display of output which will also be connected to the school and Carbon Challenge web sites. The proposal is to have part of the array on the flat roof on the main building and part on a pergola. The latter will provide shade and also be very visible and accessible fulfilling the demonstration role. The former ensures that the overall array is large enough to have a significant impact on the schools electricity consumption.”

Although the funding is for the school solar energy project, Flitton and Greenfield community hope it will develop momentum for a much wider project encompassing the whole community.

Flitton and Greenfield Carbon Challenge Group is currently working alongside their community support officer to finalise their plans. Watch this space for progress on the project!