Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what initiatives her department is running to support schools wanting to install solar panels.

Through the grant-funded Great British Energy Solar Partnership scheme, we have already completed 245 solar installations in schools and colleges, helping them reduce carbon emissions and save an estimated £220 million on energy bills over the panels’ lifetime.

The department is building on this success through our Renewal and Retrofit Programme. In phase one, around 100 schools and colleges in Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the South East will receive grant-funded solar installations, subject to site suitability and feasibility assessments. Solar panels may also be installed alongside wider renewal and retrofit works, including the replacement of life-expired temporary buildings.

Schools may be able to access solar installations through Power Purchase Agreements, which can help settings benefit from cheaper, cleaner electricity without any upfront costs.