The Great British Energy Solar Partnership is a flagship initiative from Great British Energy, funded by the Department for Education. By installing solar PV systems across 250 educational settings, the initiative will deliver on the government’s vision to cut energy costs, reduce emissions, and inspire the next generation – while building long-term climate awareness across whole school communities.
Three consortiums are working with schools and colleges across England, providing them with technical and educational expertise to accelerate the decarbonisation of the education estate. Let’s Go Zero, Ashden’s campaign for all schools, colleges and nurseries to be zero carbon by 2030, is leading on engagement and behaviour change within the Barker consortium: a group of trusted experts led by Barker Associates
The Barker consortium is supporting 79 schools and colleges, mainly in the North West, with some in the South East and South West. These include 42 primary schools, 35 secondary schools, one all-through school and one college. Notably, 65 of these settings serve communities where the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is above the national average.
20,000 solar panels installed on schools.
In the last eight months, Barker has installed just under 20,000 solar panels on 76 educational settings. This is expected to:
- generate 9.43 GW of electricity per year
- save £2.26 million per year across all settings
- save over 1,900 tonnes of CO2e per year – equivalent of the total annual emissions of 400+ UK residents!
Encouraging good habits in pupils and staff
As a delivery partner, Let’s Go Zero focuses on behaviour change, education, and whole-school engagement – ensuring that solar installations result in lasting impact. This is achieved through our Climate Action Advisors: trained experts who work with each school to offer bespoke guidance and support to develop a tailored climate action plan. Each plan identifies the most suitable and effective ways to reduce emissions, while bringing the whole community on board. Climate Action Advisors support the implementation of the plan across the curriculum, operations and community, through workshops, one-to-one meetings and more.
Engaging with students and staff on a behavioural level can unlock additional cost and emission savings, empower students and staff, and create a lasting culture for sustainability in the setting. Simple cultural changes like switching off unused equipment, or monitoring energy use, can cut electricity consumption by 10%. For schools, this can result in saving thousands annually on energy bills – money that can be reinvested into student education.
Activities include:
- Student workshops on climate action, energy saving and inspiring green futures.
- Assemblies focused on energy awareness and climate action.
- Student led energy saving campaigns.
- Videos for classroom use explaining GBESP, climate change, climate action and green jobs.
- Staff Carbon Literacy training, online workshops and CPD sessions.
“Matt [Climate Action Advisor] ignited passion in students and even managed to engage more reluctant staff members in considering our impact upon the planet… It’s almost too good to be true to be working with Matt, free of charge, given the level of expertise and development we are receiving as part of the process! We have already made several sustainable changes off the back of his input which are beginning to reach trust wide levels. We will continue to seek his guidance as we progress in our climate action planning journey and look forward to seeing positive changes take shape”.
A school receiving support from Let’s Go Zero
The GB Energy Solar Partnership is more than an energy initiative – it is an educational opportunity.
By pairing the delivery strength of the Barker consortium with Let’s Go Zero’s expertise in facilitating climate friendly behaviour change, the programme has demonstrated how to turn school decarbonisation into a living, participatory experience. We are so proud to have played our part in helping schools cut costs, reduce carbon, and, crucially, equip young people with the knowledge and motivation to shape a low-carbon future.
