School solar case studies
Representative UK school installations — how the sizing, funding and payback actually work in practice. Figures are illustrative of real project profiles; named-school details are anonymised.
120 kW install on a multi-academy trust secondary school in the Midlands
A four-school MAT secondary in the East Midlands faced electricity costs rising from £85,000 to £170,000 across two years. Pupil numbers are growing, capital is constrained, and the trust has a board-level net zero commitment. The chosen school has a 950 sqm flat membrane roof on the main teaching block.
- System size
- 118 kW (218 panels, 2 inverters)
- Annual generation
- 108,000 kWh
- Annual saving
- £26,000
- Payback
- 6.2 years
Outcome: Funded 100% via Salix Decarbonisation Loan, cash-flow positive year one. Live-generation display in entrance.
55 kW install on a primary school in Yorkshire
A community primary with 240 pupils on a single-storey 1970s building. Energy bills had risen from £14,000 to £29,000 in three years. Strong governor interest in curriculum link to climate education.
- System size
- 55 kW (102 panels, 1 inverter, 75 kWh battery)
- Annual generation
- 50,000 kWh
- Annual saving
- £11,500
- Payback
- 7 years
Outcome: Battery shifts summer holiday generation into term-time. Curriculum pack written into Year 5 D&T scheme of work.
Every school is different, and we won't pretend otherwise. What these projects have in common is the method: size from at least twelve months of half-hourly meter data including a holiday period, fund through the route that fits the school's status (Salix, PSDS or CIF), schedule the disruptive works into the holidays with DBS-cleared crews, and hand over a live-generation display for the classroom. Want to see what the numbers look like for your school? Start with a free assessment.