Green Party peer Jenny Jones visited a Croydon school this week after plans to install more solar panels on its roof were shelved due to cuts in Government subsidies.
Management at St Joseph’s College, in Beulah Hill, decided against expanding its green energy scheme after it was announced that the solar “feed in tariff” would be cut by up to 87 per cent.
Feed in tariffs provide incentives to set up renewable projects by guaranteeing above market prices for the energy they produce.
Baroness Jones, who is a London Assembly member, said: “Every London school should be exploiting their unused empty roof space for generating solar electricity.
“Sadly schools such as St Joseph’s are still the exception and the Government’s recent plans to severely cut the feed in tariff will make it even harder for other schools to follow suit.”
Green Party London Assembly member Jenny Jones
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DEEC) has said the tariff will be cut from next year.
Sean Miller, headteacher St Joseph’s College, said: “The college is very keen to install more panels on the rest of our usable roof space. Plans are in their final stages of development with start-up funding already agreed with the Government body.
"This has now been abandoned, as the feed in tariff has been removed, it will now not be financially viable. This has caused great disappointment to the college community.”
The DECC has been contacted for comment.
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