Our team have completed another solar PV installation for a prestigious school based in Newcastle.
Founded 1967, Benfield School was the first purpose built comprehensive school in the United Kingdom and quickly built a reputation for sporting excellence not just within the city, but throughout the North East. Although the school focuses on the educational outcomes of their students, they have an impressive range of facilities on-site including a gymnastics hall and swimming pool.
The installation was completed for Newcastle City Council, on behalf of Equans, a leading provider of technical services, FM, regeneration and energy services, and spanned across two buildings at the school, the main school building and the sports centre.
Combined, our in-house team designed and installed a 471 kWp SolarEdge solar PV system consisting of 1,050 solar panels, which will generate 456,629 kWh of energy for the school to use annually. They will also reduce their carbon output by 102,065 kg per year, making a large contribution to the council’s decarbonisation scheme.
Our DBS checked team were asked by Equans, to keep the main carpark fully operational during the installation. This meant we had to ask the main contractors to create an extended loading bay to accommodate for lifting equipment to the roof.
Due to the complexity of the internal layouts of the school and sports centre, our electrical teams were required to channel cabling through multiple rooms within the buildings. We worked closely with the school and Equans to ensure there was minimal disruption to school operations, accommodating for any requirements they had during the installation.
During the installation there were other works required to the building before we could complete certain parts of the project, however we worked with the main contractor and these were carried out straight away.
At AR Power, safety is our top priority, we ensure the well-being of everyone on site, to achieve this we worked with Equans to ensure full collective edge protection was in place, two point of safe access and exit via a secure hacki staircase, utilising scissor lifts for external cabling and ensuring access in and around work areas where restricted and controlled during works and only for those periods to reduce any disruption at each facility.
Cllr Juna Sathian, Newcastle City Council Cabinet Member for Climate and Transport, said: “We’re cutting carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency in public buildings across Newcastle as part of our plans to decarbonise the city and work towards our net zero aims. Benfield School provides a huge range of education, sport and leisure facilities to the local community so it is fantastic to see this major project move forward. An impressive number of solar panels have been installed on the site which will make a real difference to carbon output and ensure the school is a greener and more sustainable place for our young people to learn well into the future.”
Joe Logan, Operations Manager at Equans said “I’m incredibly pleased to see the first phase of the decarbonisation scheme at Benfield School complete. The successful installation of the huge solar array that now adorns Benfield School’s roof and sports block is a testament to the efforts of everyone involved at AR Power and at Equans, as well as marking the dedication of the entire Academy Trust and Newcastle City Council in making real and impactful steps towards a cleaner, greener future.”
Chris Balmer, Operations Director at AR Power said “It was a pleasure to be supporting Newcastle City Council on another solar PV project and contributing to their decarbonisation scheme. Although the project had its challenges, our team completed the installation safely and with minimal disruption to the school.”
We have had a positive start to 2025 with many new and exciting projects to deploy, helping companies gain energy independence and reduce their carbon footprint.”
If you would like to discuss installing solar at your school, college, academy or university, please get in touch with us today for a free and detailed proposal.
