Peak District school overcomes ’many hurdles’ to install new solar panels on the building's roof in conservation area

Eyam CE Primary School officially unveiled its new solar panels on Thursday April, 3 in front of the school’s eco team, as well members from Let's Go Zero, Hope Valley Climate Action group and explorer Ghazala Ahmad-Mear who visited the school in 2018 and shared her memories of going to the South Pole and got the children invested in climate change.

Headteacher Oona Gilbertson, who has always had a passion for preserving the environment, said: “The school decided to reduce its carbon footprint and energy costs by installing solar panels to generate electricity and additional insulation to reduce heat loss.

“The pathway to achieving this has not been straightforward as there have been many hurdles to overcome as the school is in a conservation area in the Peak District National Park.

“There has been liaising with the Peak Park, permission from the Church of England who hold the buildings in trust, fund raising by the PTA, applications for grants which included the Eco Warriors creating a promotional video, support from Hope Valley Climate Action.”

Oona says for many years the school has been environmentally minded and is proud to be a holder of the Green Flag Eco Award.

In 2021 as part of a topic about Polar environments, the children were visited by Ghazala Ahmad-Mear, from Sheffield who was the only woman who walked with Robert Swan on the South Pole Energy Challenge in January 2018.

As well as sharing her training routine, which included dragging a large rubber tyre around the local area to simulate her sledge, she showed the children the solar panels she used to charge her equipment on her epic trip across the pole.

Oona said: “Small rural schools are struggling with energy costs which reduces funds for staff, equipment and maintenance and they are entering fuel poverty.

“Future plans include working with other local schools to run a climate action event as part of the national expectation that schools are to work towards a net zero target: reducing direct and indirect emissions from education and care buildings, driving innovation and improving education.”

After planning permission was approved the school faced the technical challenges of installing the solar panels.

The headteacher was initially supported through ‘Let’s Go Zero’, the national campaign aimed at prompting schools to aim for zero carbon by 2030, she liaised with a climate ambassador to find ways to raise the funds and is now working to devise an ambitious climate action plan.

She said: “The project was supported by Hope Valley Climate Action at every opportunity in the sincere hope that it will be a trailblazer for other Hope Valley schools.

“The local action group aims to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change and to make a positive difference to future sustainability.”

Leading up to the launch HVCA has provided a teaching kit so that the children can better understand how solar energy is used to generate electricity and is sustainable.

Oona added: “For future power security we will need to generate and store electricity locally to meet peak demand and keep the lights on.”