Priory Academies Trust: Protecting school budgets with solar

Priory Academies Trust is a network of 14 primary, secondary and sixth forms across Lincolnshire. Over the past five years, Good Energy has worked with the Trust to install solar, battery and EV charging solutions across its schools, helping to reduce pressure on budgets, cut carbon emissions and reduce reliance on grid electricity.

We spoke with Energy Manager Jim Kirby to find out what the programme has meant for schools across the Trust. 

Key project stats

☀️ 28 solar PV, battery storage and EV charging installations across 13 schools 

⚡1,530 kWp of installed solar capacity and more than 5,000 solar panels 

🔋1.6 GWh of solar electricity generated annually 

⬇️ 1.2 GWh reduction in grid electricity consumption each year 

💰 Around £800,000 annual energy cost savings compared with taking no action 

📝 Maintenance contract in place across all solar installs 

The problem: Schools face rising energy costs and barriers to renewable energy

Energy costs are an increasing challenge for schools. Rising bills are placing pressure on already stretched education budgets, while growing use of digital technology is increasing electricity demand across school estates.

“Energy costs are a fast-growing part of school budgets. If you’re exposed to volatile prices and rising costs, it quickly becomes a financial challenge.” explains Jim Kirkby, Energy Manager for Priory Academies Trust. 

While renewable energy offers a clear opportunity to reduce costs, many schools struggle to access it. Understanding the opportunities available and applying for grants requires specialist knowledge and time – resources many schools simply do not have.

In many schools, solar projects come down to a teacher who happens to be interested in energy or green issues,” Jim says. Without the knowledge or time to manage the process, many schools miss out on available funding or simply don’t know where to begin.

As the Trust’s dedicated Energy Manager, Jim began exploring solar and battery storage in 2018 as a way to reduce electricity consumption and protect school budgets, securing several grants to help make the projects financially viable. 

The solution: A trust-wide solar programme tailored to every school

Working with Good Energy, Priory Academies Trust has delivered 28 solar PV, battery storage and EV charging installations across 13 schools between 2021 and 2025 – and has been appointed to install a further 5 arrays. 

Together, the installations provide 1,530 kWp of solar capacity and generate around 1.6 GWh of renewable electricity each year, significantly reducing the Trust’s reliance on grid power.

The programme has been funded through a combination of School Condition Allocation (SCA) funding and government grants, including funding from Great British Energy. 

“We’ve invested over £2.1 million in solar arrays,” says Jim. “That has been supported by grants and other funding streams, but the key thing is the long-term impact.” 

A bespoke design for every school

Good Energy carried out detailed site assessments and developed tailored designs for each school, taking into account roof construction, electricity demand, available space and future energy requirements.

One of the biggest challenges involved schools with Metrotile roofing systems, which can make solar installations more complex. By developing an in-roof mounting solution, Good Energy enabled solar panels to be installed on four sites that were initially considered unsuitable.

Installation work was carefully planned around the school calendar. Much of the work took place during holidays, with Good Energy coordinating closely with the schools to avoid any disruption during exams and other key activities.

Protecting school budgets: financial and carbon

Good Energy designed and delivered the Trust’s solar and battery systems using SolarEdge technology, providing clear visibility of performance across all sites. This allows both Good Energy and the Academy Trust to monitor generation, quickly spot potential issues, and identify opportunities to optimise electricity usage – by using battery storage in flexible ways throughout the year.

As a result, most of the renewable electricity generated is used on site, reducing grid electricity consumption by around 1.2 GWh each year. For schools operating under tight financial constraints, those savings make a meaningful difference.

If we had done nothing, we would expect our total energy bills to be about £800,000 higher than they are per year. The savings delivered by solar mean we haven’t had to make some of the difficult decisions other schools have faced. It helps relieve pressure on budgets for teachers, support staff, pay increases and Special Educational Needs provision.

Alongside reducing costs, the programme has helped the Trust more than halve its carbon footprint over the past eight years despite adding three additional schools.

For Jim, the link between sustainability and financial resilience is clear: “Reducing carbon and reducing operating costs go hand in hand.”