New solar panels on the roof of a Bristol secondary school are helping students discover how renewable energy reduces carbon emissions while saving the school money.

More than 100 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School (SMRT) and its sixth form centre under Bristol City Council’s programme of investment in solar energy for schools.

Covering a total area larger than a tennis court, the panels will generate 23,000 kilowatt hours of free electricity a year and save around £2,300 on the school's electricity bill.

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They will also save over 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide, produced by burning fossil fuels, from being pumped into the atmosphere every year, while earning money under the Government’s Feed-in Tariff that the city council can then use to reinvest in further projects.

Local renewable energy specialists Solarsense have installed the new panels and those at Redland Green secondary school and 33 primary schools under the council’s £1 million PV for Schools programme. Believed to be the largest of its kind in the UK, the initiative will save the local authority almost £60,000 each year.

Data from SMRT's solar array and a weather station will feed into an interactive web page so students can find out how much electricity is being generated for the weather conditions and carbon emissions saved.

Steve Barrett, Managing Director of Solarsense, said: "The solar PV system we have put in at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple shows students the importance of renewable energy in ensuring a brighter future for them and the whole community."

(CD)