A bird’s-eye view of the Midlands reveals a patchwork of cities and towns; fields in myriad shades of green and brown, overlaid by a lattice of roads and tracks. And shoals of pale rectangles either side of the area’s main artery: the M1 corridor. They are the great steel sheds that house so much of what the UK consumes in the 21st century – distributed by the diligent drivers of trucks and vans in an endless stream of computer-controlled logistics.
Ben Dodd has long wondered why so few of these vast flat roofs are harnessing free, clean energy from the sun – not least because he has watched prices for electricity shoot up, while those for solar-PV panels slide. The executive director of Green Fox Community Energy, a not-for-profit organisation founded in Leicester in 2012, Ben has made plenty of enquiries, most of which have ended in the weeds of distant, or untraceable, commercial landlords. But this week, as daffodils bloom across Leicestershire, Ben has a spring in his step: an ambitious new Solar Schools project he has been working on for months has taken off.
Surveying the school-roof scene
More than 100 schools across the county are in the frame to be adorned with solar panels – generating electricity, saving money for the education system, reducing carbon emissions and inspiring the next generation about clean energy and the sustaining the natural world.
It started last year, when the government’s Community Energy Fund channelled £40,000 into a survey of school buildings across Leicestershire.
Of the 260 schools surveyed in 2024, 116 were considered suitable for solar panels – essentially having a roof spanning at least 250 m2 and able to generate more than 50kWp. The scheme has the potential to generate 12 MW in total, the output of a large solar farm. This week, Ben and his team wrote to the 116 schools, offering them free solar panels, installed by, maintained and operated by Green Fox with support from the Community Energy Fund. To begin with, schools have been invited to provide information on their electricity usage and a recent bill. Green Fox will then draw up a no-obligation proposal, showing the potential savings and reduced carbon footprint.
Share offers: solar arrays owned by the community
Schools that decide to go ahead will be part of a series of share offers later this year: people across the country will be invited to invest a minimum of £250 in return for a stable return of around 5% and their capital repaid over 25 years – the expected lifetime of the scheme. Once the share offers are completed, Green Fox will purchase the solar panels and arrange for their installation during 2026.
Ben is optimistic about take-up, pointing out how keen the community in Hinckley is to buy shares to raise £60,000 to install a solar array atop Hollycroft School. He adds that schools joining the scheme will benefit from digital displays so pupils can monitor how much electricity is being generated.
An organisation called Let’s Go Zero will provide advisors to help pupils, staff and parents plan activities on how best to live sustainably in a changing climate. Ben is delighted to have secured the backing of Leicestershire County Council:
“The project would not be at this stage without them – it needed to be signed off by multiple departments and it is a credit to the Council for pushing it through.”
The importance of being energy advisors
Ben is also pleased to be supported by Community Energy Pathways, which is providing local people and groups with a wide range of information and advice on energy. That includes how to apply for grants to insulate draughty homes and unravelling the mysteries of new, clean and green money-saving technologies such as air source heat pumps or systems that combine solar panels with battery storage and automatically sell surplus electricity to the national grid.
Phil O’Sullivan, the project co-ordinator for Leicestershire, says they are busy recruiting “energy champions”, who can share their valuable knowledge and experience:
“Once we have enough interested people, we’ll organise a full day of champion training to get people ready to go out into the community – and support them through online training and certification.” He adds “We’re looking to build a long-term programme that creates local, skilled and secure “green jobs” that benefit everyone as we make the transition to cleaner, greener and more sustainable communities.”