Mayor comes along to see school's new solar panels
The Mayor of London and Rupa Huq MP being greeted by the headteacher
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan made a visit to West Acton Primary School this weekend to see for himself its green energy initiative.
He went to the school this Wednesday (2 June) to see the installation of a large solar PV array along with Ealing Central and Acton MP, Rupa Huq.
The project, which will supply clean energy to the school, was part funded through the Mayor’s London Community Energy Fund. This will help London Borough of Ealing towards its goal of reaching net zero carbon by 2030.
Sixteen schools in Ealing and two children’s centres have signed up to have solar panels and other energy efficiency work done with support from City Hall.
The installation has been dubbed by the Mayor as a ‘retrofit revolution’ – an initiative to create ultra-low carbon buildings, tackle the climate emergency and create green jobs.
This is a programme which aims to make London's non-domestic public buildings and assets more energy efficient, lowering emissions and saving public money on energy spending.
Headteacher at West Acton Primary School, Karen Kondo, said, “As a school we are delighted to be part of a project that generates clean energy from solar panels. For our children to know that the global climate crisis is close to home and that in the middle of a busy city like London, we are helping the environment gives them pride and meaning to play their part. It helps us create not only knowledge but curiosity and passion about the natural environment in our children which can only be a good thing for all our futures.”
The solar panels will help the school reduce carbon emissions and save money
The Mayor said, “Creating jobs and tackling the climate emergency are two of my priorities for London and that’s why I am delighted London is leading the way on a retrofit revolution.
“This transformative approach to retrofit will directly help those living in ageing, energy-inefficient homes, and schools and could play a vital role cutting energy bills and tackling fuel poverty. It will also support Londoners with the skills they need for jobs in the green economy, rebuilding our city post-COVID so that it’s cleaner, greener and fairer.”
West Acton Primary School pupils with the Mayor, Rupa Huq and Cllr Peter Mason
Leader of Ealing Council, Councillor Peter Mason said, “Greening our borough by tackling the climate crisis, cleaning our air and ensuring the borough we build is sustainable is a key priority for our council. The 16 installations in local schools and children’s centres are performing well, saving an incredible 150 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year compared to electricity generation with gas. They also have an expected lifetime carbon dioxide saving of around 5,000 tonnes.
“Schools and Children’s Centres aren’t just contributing to the fight against climate change by signing up to this scheme- together they are saving about £15,000 each year on their electricity bills. This is exactly the type of project we want to promote in Ealing and we are looking forward to working on more ambitious schemes like this.”
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June 3, 2021
