Clwyd West MP, David Jones, is urging schools in his constituency to take advantage of British Gas’ £15 million solar panel giveaway. All schools in the UK are eligible to enter the competition to win solar panels, worth between £20,000 and £40,000 each.
Schools will need to demonstrate that they are amongst the most sustainable in the country to win the competition. The solar panels could cut as much as twenty percent off a school’s annual electricity bill.
Under the competition, up to 750 schools will receive free solar panels, with around half of the prizes going to schools in low income areas.
In addition to the solar panels, schools will also receive a free energy display meter. This is expected to help reduce energy consumption by a further ten to fifteen percent.
The competition comes from British Gas’s Generation Green programme, a 10,000 strong schools programme which rewards schools for green actions. Pupils earn “Green Leaves” for sustainable behaviour – supported through an online teaching hub – which can be redeemed against green prizes. Any winning “Solar Schools” will receive tailored lesson plans from the Generation Green online hub, allowing them to make the most of their new solar panels.
Schools can join the competition by filling in the application form on http://www.generationgreen.co.uk/solarpanels/.
Judges will be looking at the school’s commitment to sustainability, its ability to engage and benefit the wider community and the overall originality of their entry. Schools can also provide any supporting material that might help demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. This could range from case studies, photos, videos, presentations, press cuttings or even petitions signed by the local community
Interested schools should apply by 22nd October. Following this, a short list of schools will be decided and winners will be announced in November.
Encouraging schools to take advantage of this offer, David Jones said:
“This is an exciting opportunity for schools in Clwyd West to go green and to save money. The schools that win the competition will be able to generate their own green electricity, helping them cut as much as twenty percent off their annual electricity bill.
If you think that a school in your community would benefit from getting free solar panels, please spend five minutes filling out the form on the British Gas Generation Green website”.
