The largest community-owned solar array in Greater Manchester has been installed at Wellington School in Timperley.
The 946 solar panels have been installed by Greater Manchester Community Renewables (GMCR) following a community share offer last summer.
The share offer was launched last June in order to raise £350,000, and the target was met in September with shares bought by 136 people and organisations.
Installation of the panels - which cover seven of the school’s roofs - began during the Christmas break with the final section completed in February half term.
They will reduce the school’s carbon footprint and save thousands of pounds on its energy bills - and indeed will generate enough electricity annually to make over 16 million cups of tea.
Stuart Beeley, Headteacher at Wellington School, said: “The climate crisis is a key issue facing our society which will have a significant impact on the lives of our students.
"To be supplying classrooms and facilities with clean, renewable energy day-to-day is a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work of everyone involved.
“Working with GMCR has not only made us more sustainable, we are also exploring how the solar array can be used in maths, geography and science lessons, as part of our mission to prepare our students for tomorrow’s global society.”
GMCR Director and Co-founder Kate Eldridge said: “We’re really excited that this array is now up and running, and starting to help the school to save money and cut carbon.
“We want to say a huge thank you to everyone in the community who has invested in this project, and to the staff at Wellington School for their leadership and support throughout the process.
“It just goes to show what communities can achieve when we come together to tackle the climate crisis.”
