Nearly 800 solar panels installed on roof of Bradford school
It's thought to be the biggest solar array in the city.
Almost 800 solar panels have been installed on the roof of a Bradford school as part of a push to become carbon neutral by 2030.
The work means that Oasis Academy Lister Park is now home to what is thought to be the biggest solar array in the city.
The 789 solar panels were fitted to the school’s roof earlier this Summer, and will produce free electricity and help the environment.
The school will also incorporate the work into its curriculum, teaching children about green tech.
Situated on North Avenue in Manningham, the school is part of one of the largest multi-academy trusts in England, Oasis Community Learning.
The academy chain, which runs schools across the country, has pledged to become a “net zero organisation”.
Last year Oasis Community Learning partnered with Eden Sustainable to add solar power panels across an initial fourteen school sites, which started with two sites in Bristol last month.
Announcing the plans for the Lister Park school, the chain said the work would cost over ÂŁ227,000 and prevent 88,542 kilograms of Carbon Dioxide being released into the atmosphere each year.
Work on the array, which almost completely covers the school’s roof, has recently been completed.
The panels installed on the Bradford school meant that over a 25-year period, Oasis Academy Lister Park will save a total of 933 carbon tonnes with a financial saving over the same phase totalling ÂŁ344,979.
Planning permission for the work was approved by Bradford Council late last year.
A school spokesman said: “As Oasis gets closer to reaching their target of becoming a net zero educational organisation by 2030, there are many benefits to schools having solar power including helping the planet and reducing the carbon footprint in their communities, it provides an excellent lesson resource for students of any age as they are seeing data in real time, and there are financial benefits involved.”
Sian Dover, Principal at Oasis Academy Lister Park said; “We are delighted to be part of this project. It’s really great to see the solar panels across the academy producing environmentally friendly energy.
“Being part of Oasis, environmental and renewable energy is built into our curriculum, and we have a number of super eco-champions who are going to be driving forward a number of environmental changes.
“The solar panel install is just the beginning.”
The multi-academy trust recently also switched 41 of its academies, 80 per cent of its schools, to SmartestEnergy’s renewable electricity product. Under the two-year supply agreement, SmartestEnergy supplies 100 per cent renewable electricity to Oasis Community Learning at their contracted sites from November 2020 to October 2022.
John Barneby, Chief Operating Officer at Oasis Community Learning, commented saying; “We believe that the education sector has a responsibility to raise awareness and empower future generations to ensure the sustainability of our planet.
“We are incredibly excited about this project as it will reduce our impact on the environment and represents the start of a bigger and longer-term initiative to lead the way on environmental sustainability in the education sector.”