Education

Radstock Primary School celebrate the solar panels
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Solar panels give Radstock Primary green boost

March 19, 2010

A £10,000 grant has helped a Lower Earley primary go green with two new solar panels.

Radstock Primary secured the funding from the Energy Saving Trust and an extra £1,800 was then raised by pupils taking part in a sponsored walk during the autumn term.

Borough mayor Councillor Barrie Patman visited the school on Monday, March 8, to have a closer look at the solar panels and learn more about the project.

The panels have been fitted to the school roof and an information panel has been installed in the reception area to allow pupils, staff and visitors to see how much energy the school has produced.

Headteacher Drusilla Derrick said: “There has been a surge of enthusiasm for energy efficiency at Radstock Primary School and we have been working hard to raise awareness of the environment and how the school can be sustainable.

“We all have a part to play in making our lives environmentally friendly and the pupils have really embraced this to make the school ‘green’.

“I am extremely proud of the staff and pupils who have all worked hard to make our school more energy efficient and raise the money to have this technology installed.

“Everyone at the school is really excited about the solar panels and as soon as you walk in the door you can see just how much energy we have made!”

Ian Gough, technical officer for energy at the council, has supported the school in the project and took pupils to visit the wind turbine at Green Park in Reading as part of their renewable energy studies.

Mr Gough said: “The solar panels installed at Radstock Primary School will go a long way towards cutting energy costs and reducing the authority’s carbon footprint, as well as raising pupils’ awareness of how to be ‘green’ through energy efficient practices and renewable energy generation techniques.”

The school also received a bronze Eco School Award recently.

The award scheme encourages schools to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

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The Novel Writing Month thing is moronic. I've learned that you can't just sit down and say "I want to write a novel. What should I write about?" In my experience, the idea comes to you by itself and then fleshes out in your head over a period of time. I don't do outlines -- too limiting -- and I'm never 100% sure how it will end. And the main thing? Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

zhang xingzhi
21/11/2010 at 06:41

Odd this, that the Energy Savings Trust should be promoting solar panels, as their own website reveals that solar panels are just a complete waste of money! From their own site:...

"Costs for a typical solar water heating system range from £3,000 to £5,000. Savings are moderate - a solar water heating system can provide about a third of your hot water needs, reducing your water heating bill by between £50 and £85 per year."

So let's do the maths: Cost £4,000 (average) Saving £67.50 per year (average) Payback time therefore 59 years.

However, the life of the system will be no more than 20 years (the guarantee would end after just 10), and every four years they require a service from your installer (never mind the fact that parts of it would fail within those 20 years, like the pump) so not only would you NEVER get your money back, this idea will actually cost you money over that period! So if this isn't about money, let's look at the 'eco' side. If you believe that doing this will somehow reduce the globe's temperature, then seek help.