Power Up North London has installed more than 400 solar panels on the roofs of two Camden secondary schools – Regent High School and Parliament Hill School – as part of its commitment to reducing the borough’s reliance on fossil fuels.

The panels, set across two solar arrays, will save a total of 30.5 tonnes of CO2 a year,equivalent to the carbon absorbed by 1,400 trees, and will result in cheaper electricity for both schools.

The project was the culmination of 18 months of work and strong partnerships between Power Up North London, Camden Council, the two schools and King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP).

Gary Moore, Head teacher for Regent High School said: “Working with Power Up North London has been an eye opener for the school. The sheer professionalism and energy of a team doing this in their spare time has been inspiring. They are truly passionate in helping the school secure an important increase in its green energy supply, thereby reducing its carbon footprint. Their innovative approach to community financing unlocked an opportunity that the school would not have the means to fund by itself. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with PUNL as a provider and facilitator of sustainable and locally generated electricity.”

This project was funded through a community share offer and grant funding. Power Up North London, a local community energy group, raised over £136,000 through a community share offer that was supported by 44 local residents.

Somers Town Community Sports Centre contributed £20,000 and KCCLP, the owner of the nearby King’s Cross estate, contributed £50,000 from its King’s Cross Carbon Fund for the panels on Regent High School. The Carbon Fund was agreed with Camden Council as part of the planning permission for the redevelopment of King’s Cross to support carbon reduction projects at King’s Cross and the surrounding area.

Power Up North London’s Chair and lead for the project, Anna Woodeson, welcomed this significant investment: “For the past nine years, PUNL has been working closely with local communities to help them embrace green energy and become less dependent on fossil fuels.

Grants of £25,000 for each site from Camden Council’s Climate Fund and £25,000 from the Future Neighbourhood 2030 initiative were essential enablers for this project, resulting in lower energy bills for the schools for the long-term.

Councillor Adam Harrison, Deputy leader and Cabinet member for planning and a sustainable Camden said: “Tackling the climate emergency is a priority for Camden Labour. The council has committed to do all we can to make Camden a zero-carbon
borough by 2030, having declared a climate emergency in 2019. We will not be able to achieve this alone, however. Partnerships such as this between Power Up North London and Camden are therefore absolutely vital.”

The generous investment from the King’s Cross Carbon Fund and grants from the Camden Climate Fund and FN2030 have helped fund the installation of over 400 solar panels at Regent High and Parliament Hill, resulting in cleaner energy and cheaper electricity bills.

Funding from the King’s Cross Central Carbon Fund is available for local projects that can demonstrate a carbon reduction benefit to the King’s Cross area.

For more
information, please visit https://www.kingscross.co.uk/kings-cross-central-carbon-fund.