Image from Woodhouse Grove School’s Facebook page.

Woodhouse Grove School, located to the north of Apperley Bridge in West Yorkshire, has installed 546 solar panels on its sports hall roof.

Covering an area of just under a square kilometre, the panels will generate 184,809kWh of energy in the first year, powering 10 to 15% of the school site, reducing the school’s energy bills as well as its carbon footprint.

Headmaster James Lockwood said: “At Woodhouse Grove we take environmental responsibility and sustainability seriously and our solar panel project demonstrates this. We are hoping to add more panels around the school site as soon as our local grid can accommodate this. Hopefully in the not-so-distant future, the Yorkshire sunshine will be powering even more of the school site!

The school’s sustainability and energy officer Michelle Howard added: “To have the support to proceed with a solar panel installation within my first year really displays the school’s commitment to sustainability. It is heartening to have the ability to generate our own clean, renewable energy at school. And, with ever increasing electricity costs, it makes financial sense too. This is only phase one for us at school, now onto phase two!”