How solar is educating the next generation of climate campaigners in Glasgow

Schoolchildren amongst those set to benefit from a net zero initiative led by the local council.

Five primary schools in Glasgow are set to benefit from a green scheme driven by Glasgow City Council.

The scheme will see solar panels installed at Haghill Primary School, Dalmarnock Primary School, St Bernards Primary School, Camstradden Primary School and Castleton Primary School. 

We were on site at Haghill Primary School to speak with stakeholders about the works and accompanying climate education programme set to roll out across the schools.

Collin Little, project officer (sustainability) at Glasgow City Council, said: “The project will delivery pv arrays at eight locations and that includes five primary schools, two day care centres and the largest array at the Kelvin Hall.”

The project came about as part of an ambitious council target to reach net zero carbon by 2030. Once functional, the array is expected to save the council £183,064 in annual energy bills and 158.41 tonnes of carbon emissions every year. 

Collin added: “In addition to generating fiscal savings across the Glasgow estate, it will also contribute towards us reaching our net zero targets.” 

As a part of their procurement process for the works, the council sought to appoint a contractor that could offer an education programme teaching pupils about the benefits of solar and the role of renewable energy in our fight against the climate crisis.

The contract was awarded to Vital Energi, who will run their established climate education programme vital education across the five schools. 

Kieran Walsh, regional manager at Vital Energi said: “We’re delighted to be rolling out our climate education programme through each of the schools.

“That will educate each of the pupils on climate change and the measures that we’re implementing in their school to protect the planet.”

The education programme aims to inspire the next generation and empower them to make small changes that will have a big impact our journey to net zero. Vital Energi says the programme combines learning with creative and fun tools to create awareness for children of all ages.

Project bosses were not unaware of the issues, exposed in the media, of potential human rights concerns associated with the mining of raw materials for solar panels. 

They say that, to address this, the procurement was completed through the Scotland Excel framework, which aims to drive social, economic and environmental benefits for communities. This same framework was used to ensure considerations were made for all aspects of procurement, from the education programme in the schools through to the ethical sourcing of the materials for the solar panels themselves.

Project teams expect the solar panels should be installed by the autumn, following which time the sites across the city will start to see the benefits of the renewable energy being produced. 

Zoe Hurst, programme coordinator at Salix, said: “The solar project led by Glasgow City Council provides a great example of broadening the scope of green projects to ensure all stakeholders across the community get best benefit.

“Not only will the renewable energy generated from the solar help to lower carbon emissions and energy bills for the council, but they have also ensured that there is a strong social benefit to their community through the education programme, and that the people involved in the manufacturing of the panels themselves are operating in an ethical manner.”

You can find out more about the Salix Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme (SEELS) and other schemes delivered in Scotland on our website.