Welcome to Wey Valley Solar Schools

The Wey Valley Solar Schools Co-operative is a community owned energy co-operative set up by local people from the towns of Guildford and Godalming in Surrey. In 2011 we started with 238 kW of solar panels on the roofs of six state secondary schools in Surrey. Since then we have completed further solar installations on a further four schools as well as increasing the generation capacity on some of our founder schools. In addition to this, we have also installed panels on St Paul’s Church in June 2020. We now have a generation capacity of just over 600kW over eleven sites (ten schools and one church).

Our Co-operative provides each of our solar schools with:

• renewable energy free of charge or discounted to the school at a fixed price for the duration of the Co-operative to help manage and reduce their energy costs
• the net income of the Co-operative which is not reinvested
• the ability for each school to cut its carbon emissions
• monitors for each school showing the renewable energy their panels are generating
• a supportive partner which understands that a school may need to make some changes to building roofs over the period of the Co-operative
• full remote monitoring of panel output to identify any problems or faults with installations
• maintenance and operational support from the Co-operative’s experienced contractors
• panels given to the schools at no cost at the end of the feed in tariff period

We have already paid our ten solar schools over £45,000 which has been shared out between them.
We are still keen to install solar arrays on any school in Surrey and its adjoining counties. If you are a teacher, governor, parent or pupil at a school interested in joining the Co-operative please contact us.

Energy Efficient LED Lighting 

In 2013 we installed low energy lighting at a primary school in Harmondsworth using a pioneering (for a community enterprise) lighting services contract with the school.  In autumn 2016 we replaced some of the lighting at Green Oaks Primary School Godalming with LED lighting.  We were able to complete the work thanks to a grant from a local environmental group & we’ve used to data to try and develop a financially viable and self-sustaining business model for further LED projects.

We also offer advice and support to support other communities to replicate what we have done and they are welcome to contact us.

Wey Valley Solar Schools Co-operative To Install More In Surrey Schools

 

Registered as a Co-operative Society 31358 R