Hartpury College has a sunny future with £30,000 grant
A college in Gloucester has been awarded £30,000 from EDF Energy towards their renewable energy project.
The grant comes from the EDF Energy Green Fund and will help pay towards 200 solar panels to be installed on the roof of the accommodation facilities at Hartpury College, Gloucester.
The further education college, which specialises in sport, agriculture and equine courses, houses up to 1000 students during term time. The aim is for the solar panels and energy meters to help the college become more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions by around 35 tonnes a year.
The EDF Energy Green Fund supports renewable energy projects which produce power from the sun, wind, water and geothermal sources that reduce greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
Russell Marchant, Principal at Hartpury College, said: “We are so pleased to be awarded £30,000 from the EDF Energy Green Fund towards our energy saving project. We are a very conscientious college and want to manage our energy use more efficiently. With the installation of the solar panels we will be able to save energy, money and reduce our carbon emissions while being able to encourage the students to monitor and reduce the energy they use, so energy efficiency becomes second nature to them. We hope that this is just the start of a mix of renewable energy sources we can achieve and benefit from at the college.”
The installation of the project is due to start later this year.
Darren Towers, EDF Energy’s Head of Sustainability, said: “EDF Energy has been able to invest millions of pounds in small-scale renewable projects like this one at Hartpury College. It’s all part of our commitment to help build a low carbon future for Britain.”
Since the Green Fund was launched in 2001, EDF Energy has awarded more than £5 million to 305 renewable energy projects in the UK. More than £2 million has been given to 129 educational projects – including those in schools, nurseries and colleges.
Mr Towers added: “EDF Energy Green Fund renewable projects operate up and down the country. As well as producing renewable energy, they are a fantastic way to educate communities – and particularly children and young people – in the importance and benefits of low carbon.”
In all, ten projects have been awarded £127,490 in the latest EDF Energy Green Fund funding round.
Awards of up to £30,000 are available for projects in Great Britain and such funds have helped schools, charities, local authorities, churches, water mills and other non-profit organisations to generate clean, green energy in their own community.