Hundreds More Schools to Receive Solar Panels as Government Expands £255 Million Programme

New private sector pilot removes upfront cost barrier and points toward national rollout from 2027, creating sustained installation pipeline across England’s education estate.

The Department for Education has announced the next wave of its school solar programme, with 100 additional schools and colleges joining the Great British Energy Solar Partnership backed by up to £40 million of government funding, alongside a separate pilot involving 150 institutions across Yorkshire and Humber, the East Midlands and the South East.

The 245 schools and colleges already fitted with government-funded panels are on track to save an estimated £220 million on energy bills over the lifetime of the installations, with secondary schools saving an average of £58,600 per year and primaries £21,000 – figures that include savings from LED lighting upgrades carried out alongside solar installation.

The more significant development for the construction and installation supply chain is the private sector Power Purchase Agreement pilot. Under this model, private investors fund, install, own and maintain panels at no upfront cost to schools or government, with schools purchasing the electricity generated at rates significantly below standard tariffs. The pilot is designed to inform a national rollout from 2027-28, with the stated ambition that every school and college in England will eventually be able to access solar.

That pipeline has material implications for rooftop solar installers, electrical contractors and maintenance providers. England has approximately 22,000 state schools and colleges. Even a partial rollout at scale represents one of the largest sustained rooftop solar installation programmes the UK public sector has undertaken, concentrated across a defined asset class with relatively standardised roof types and electrical infrastructure.

The broader Great British Energy Solar Partnership, of which the schools programme forms part, carries a total investment of up to £255 million and extends to NHS sites and military establishments alongside education. The PPA pilot model, if it performs as expected, could be replicated across those estates too.

Quality checks on private sector installations will be a condition of participation in the pilot, pointing to accreditation and compliance requirements that supply chain businesses will need to meet to access the programme.