Great British Energy solar for schools
The publicly-owned Great British Energy is funding rooftop solar across England’s state schools. Here’s what it is, who it reaches, and how to be ready for it.
Great British Energy is the government’s publicly-owned energy company, and one of its first visible interventions has been a programme to put rooftop solar on state schools in England. It is a direct response to the same problem this whole site is about: school electricity bills rose 60–120% from 2021 while per-pupil funding stood still, and solar is one of the few capital measures that pays a school back inside a normal estates horizon. The programme targets the schools that need it most first — those in areas of higher deprivation — with the panels funded so there is little or no upfront cost to the school.
Where the programme stands — 16 July 2026
The Department for Education reports that 245 schools and colleges already have government-funded solar panels, that 100 more are joining the Great British Energy Solar Partnership backed by up to £40 million, and that a further 150 schools and colleges across Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the South East will pilot a power-purchase-agreement model in which a private partner installs and maintains the panels at no upfront cost. That pilot is intended to inform a national rollout in 2027–2028.
The savings the department quotes are specific: secondary schools with solar and LED lighting are saving £58,600 a year, primaries £21,000. The Partnership as a whole is an investment of up to £255 million — across schools, colleges, NHS sites and military sites, so it is not a schools-only pot.
Source: gov.uk press release, 16 July 2026. If you are reading this well after that date, check the release for the current wave before building a plan on these numbers.
Two quick pointers. If you want the route in — who is selected, who is not, and what to do in either case — read the Great British Energy application guide. If you are actually looking for the wider set of school solar grants (CIF, PPAs, the SEG and the rest), that lives on our school solar grants and funding page — this page is only about the GB Energy programme.
How the programme fits with the rest of a school’s funding
The important thing for a School Business Manager to understand is that Great British Energy is one route among several, not the only one — and its rollout is phased, so not every school is funded in the first waves. If your school is selected, the capital is provided directly. If it is not, you are not stuck: the interest-free Salix Decarbonisation Loan repays from the energy savings and is usually cash-flow positive from year one, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is closed to new bids (its Phase 4 window shut in November 2024), and academies can bid into the Condition Improvement Fund. A solar PPA or community energy scheme is the no-capital fallback if none of those land. In practice, treat GB Energy as the best case and get a proposal that works with or without it.
Why "get ready now" beats "wait and see"
Because direct allocations are managed centrally through the Department for Education and delivery partners rather than an always-open public form, the schools that benefit fastest are the ones with a costed, feasibility-backed proposal already in hand when a wave opens. That proposal should be sized from at least twelve months of your half-hourly meter data, with a structural check and a clear savings calculation.
What a GB Energy school solar project looks like
The engineering is the same school-specific work everywhere: rooftop PV sized to your term-time load rather than your roof area, properly checked crews working in the school holidays to current KCSIE standards, and a live-generation display for the classroom. What GB Energy changes is the funding conversation — for a selected school it removes the capital question almost entirely, and for every other school it raises the profile of school solar with governors and trust boards, which makes a capital or PPA case easier to get signed off.
The programme announced for Great British Energy covers England. Schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland decarbonise through their own devolved funding, which we cover on those pages. Figures, waves and criteria for the programme change over time, so treat this as orientation and talk to us for the current position for your school.
Great British Energy for schools — FAQs
What is the Great British Energy schools solar programme?
It is a government-backed programme, delivered through the publicly-owned Great British Energy, that funds rooftop solar PV on state schools in England — with the first installations prioritised in areas of higher deprivation. The aim is to cut schools’ energy bills and free money for teaching, while contributing to the public-sector net zero target.
Which schools are eligible for Great British Energy funding?
The programme is aimed at state-funded schools in England (maintained schools and academies). Rollout is phased and prioritised, so not every school is funded in the first waves. If your school is not selected, the realistic routes are its own capital, a Condition Improvement Fund bid alongside condition works, or a power purchase agreement — there is no Salix loan for English schools.
Is Great British Energy solar actually free for our school?
Where a school is funded directly through the programme, the capital for the rooftop system is provided so there is little or no upfront cost to the school. Where it is not, the realistic routes are capital, a CIF bid alongside condition works, or a PPA — none of them free, but a PPA needs no upfront money. See our free solar panels for schools guide.
How do we register interest or apply?
Direct GB Energy allocations are managed centrally through the Department for Education and delivery partners rather than an open public form, and the criteria and waves change. The practical step for most schools is to get a costed, feasibility-backed proposal ready now so you can move quickly when funding is confirmed. Ask an installer to prepare that proposal.
Does Great British Energy funding cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
The schools solar programme announced for Great British Energy covers England. Schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland decarbonise through their own devolved routes — see our Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland pages for the funding that applies there.
Ask us about Great British Energy funding
Responds within one working day
- 1. Tell us about your school — roof, location and, if you have it, your half-hourly meter data.
- 2. We introduce you to an installer that covers your area, who surveys the site and quotes in writing.
- 3. You decide — there is no obligation to go ahead.
Check any installer on these registers before you sign:
- MCS Certified
- NICEIC
- RECC
- TrustMark