St Luke’s CEVA Primary School has installed 221 solar panels to lower energy bills and encourage clean energy in the community.
A new solar energy initiative is transforming electricity use in East London, bringing discounted power to St Luke’s CEVA Primary School and its surrounding community.
The first-of-its-kind project, led by E.ON Next, features 221 solar panels installed on the school’s roof, supplying both the campus and nearby buildings with reduced-rate electricity.
‘This exciting partnership with E.ON partners perfectly with the original trust deed for the school of over 150 years which relates to serving the community,’ Matt Hipperson, headteacher at St Luke’s CEVA Primary School, said during the projects launch on Friday 28th November.
‘The solar panels, alongside E.ON’s technical expertise allows us to use our large roof to help reduce electricity bills for the community we serve.’
The system is expected to generate 92,000kWh annually, enough to power 34 homes and cover more than half of the school’s energy needs. The project could save the school around £6,500 a year in utility costs.
‘The energy transition is about making an energy system that works for people rather than against them,’ Ramona Vlasiu, chief operating officer at E.ON Next, said. ‘It’s about making energy more affordable and sustainable, and through a combination of technology, innovation, and products, we can empower customers and make energy a force for good.’
‘There are more than 20,000 primary schools across the country, not to mention the potential of other schools, universities, public buildings and car parks, so the opportunity to turn these into clean energy hubs that support their communities is enormous,’ she continued.
If implemented nationwide, primary schools could generate 117GW of low-carbon electricity, significantly reducing costs for both schools and local residents. However, E.ON warns that existing regulations currently limit the wider rollout of such community energy schemes.
A company spokesperson highlighted that removing social and environmental levies on energy-sharing agreements could unlock greater potential for local clean energy projects, citing similar reforms in Spain and Portugal that produced savings of up to 40%.
Image: Evgeniy Alyoshin/UnSplash
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