SolarSense Electrician Returns to Old School 30 Years Later for Solar Install

SolarSense PV Electrician Brings Solar Power to His Old Primary School

More than 30 years after he left Longwell Green Primary as a pupil, SolarSense’s James Harvey has been back on site, this time installing the solar panels that now help power the school.

It’s been over three decades since James sat in a classroom at Longwell Green Primary in South Gloucestershire. Now a PV electrician with SolarSense, he recently returned to walk the school’s halls again, as part of the team fitting a new solar PV system on its roof. With the installation complete, the panels are now generating clean electricity for a new generation of pupils. The school solar project is one of ten in South Gloucestershire that SolarSense has fitted this year.

Back where it all started

A lot has changed since James’s school days. His teachers have long since retired, and climate action is now very much part of what pupils learn.

“Renewable energy wasn’t part of the conversation or curriculum when I was in the classroom. But to go back to where I started, and to see them embracing renewables and bringing what children are learning about climate action to life right above their heads was really pretty special.” – James Harvey, Electrician at SolarSense

James, now 44, has been with SolarSense for more than 20 years. In that time he has helped deliver installations at some of the company’s best-known sites, including Glastonbury’s Worthy Farm, Bristol Beacon and Brothers Drinks.

For Longwell Green Primary, solar is the next step in a longer journey – as headteacher Darren Brown explained: “A couple of years ago, we saved up to replace every light in the school with energy efficient LEDs and now, with wonderful support from our local authority, installing solar panels takes that further again, bringing classroom conversations around sustainability to life.”

A wider push across South Gloucestershire

Longwell Green Primary is one of ten schools across South Gloucestershire Council that has expanded renewable energy generation this year, with all installs now live. The work was part-funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, through Great British Energy’s Mayoral Renewables Fund, with the council matching that investment. According to the council, it has more than doubled its rooftop solar generation capacity.

“Putting solar panels on the council buildings and schools was a real way we could make a difference,” Cabinet councillor Louise Harris said. “We’re really pleased to see solar installed across the council’s buildings. It is estimated that each school or public building that’s had solar installed as part of this programme will save around a third of its energy costs. It’s a win for the environment and keeps costs down.”

“By harnessing the power of the sun, solar panels produce clean, low-carbon energy, helping to reduce dependence on traditional electricity and gas supplies,” she continued. “We are putting our climate and nature action plan into action and demonstrating the council’s continued commitment to addressing the climate and nature emergency, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting the transition to a cleaner, greener future for South Gloucestershire.”

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: “Saving money through green energy today can help protect tomorrow, and thanks to more new funding, we will be able to help even more communities. It’s great to see South Gloucestershire Council matching the investment provided by the Mayoral Renewables Fund, secured from Great British Energy.”

Why schools and solar are a natural fit

James has worked on festivals, concert halls and castles, but he says schools are just as exciting a place to install solar. “As their energy demands tend to be in daylight hours and their roofs ideal for installation, schools can get so much from solar PV and fast payback on the cost. We’re seeing more of them move from token solar systems to the bigger installations that can power the whole school. That’s a great financial and environmental saving.”

SolarSense has installed more than 100 solar systems at schools, academies and colleges across the UK. A typical school system pays back its installation cost within six to eight years – and goes on generating free electricity for more than 25.

Thinking about solar for your school?

Whether you’re a single primary or a multi-academy trust, SolarSense can design, install and maintain a solar system that cuts your energy costs and carbon, with installs planned around term times wherever possible.

As at Longwell Green, the panels on a school roof can be a teaching resource as well as a saving. And for schools without the capital to invest, options such as power purchase agreements (PPAs) and 100% asset finance mean they can benefit from solar with little or no upfront cost.

SolarSense is an employee-owned Certified B Corp, backed by ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accreditation. The experienced team has spent more than thirty years consulting, designing, installing, monitoring and maintaining award-winning renewable energy projects for leading brands across England and Wales.