Mitie Communities has worked with Essex County Council to manage the installation of roof mounted solar panels at 15 schools across the county.
The panels will produce around 700,000 kWh of renewable energy every year, equivalent to the energy needed to power 185 homes, saving 180 tonnes of CO2 and around £115,000, with an estimated payback of around 10 years.
Mitie, who provides full facilities management and maintenance services to Essex County Council, managed the entire installation process, including a review of the council’s estate of more than 250 locations to identify the priority sites, creating business cases and feasibility studies, and securing government funding, as well as overseeing the selection of specialist suppliers and installation.
Mitie has also installed remote monitoring equipment in the panels to track the performance of the panels, the carbon savings achieved and any maintenance requirements.
Some of the installations were delivered as part of a project called Empower 2.0, which aims to empower citizens in Essex to take an active role in the energy market as the UK transitions to a low carbon society.
Pradyumna Pandit, Managing Director, Sustainability and Energy Services, Mitie, said: “Decarbonising the UK’s buildings is key to securing a net zero future for the next generation, so it’s very fitting that we’re helping Essex County Council cut its emissions by rolling out solar panels across the region’s schools. With this project, we’re demonstrating that doing the right thing by our planet doesn’t need to cost the earth, by helping the Council lower its energy bills along with its carbon emissions.”
