A school in West Cornwall has taken advantage of the renewable energy feed-in tariff by fitting a 4kWp solar PV system which is estimated to generate approximately 4000kWh per year, which will generate an income of £1,600 and save £400 on energy bills.

Alverton School in Penzance will be paid a fixed rate by its energy provider for all of the electricity generated plus an additional payment for excess electricity fed back into the grid.

The project also gave teachers the opportunity to educate children on our impact on the environment and with the help of a digital screen displaying the panels efficiency gives the children first hand experience of making practical changes to benefit the environment.

Head teacher Ben Chalwin said: "It's been placed where people come into the school and shows the wattage being produced and how much carbon is being saved – it lets children see the difference being made by the solar panels.
"We are quite environmentally-minded and we're involved in the eco-school project, grow our own vegetables and are really into recycling, so this is the next step."