When Greater Manchester Community Renewables (GMCR) was formed, we chose to start out with rooftop solar. 

We live in a large urban area, so there were many more opportunities for rooftop solar than ground mounted solar or wind, and the technology was more straightforward to deliver than micro-hydro power.

When kicking off a new project, full of energy and enthusiasm, you want to find partners to work with, who will host your panels and use the electricity you generate. But before you approach them you do need to have some idea of what you’re going to offer them. What do they get in return for sharing their roof space with you? Usually, cheaper electricity and carbon savings. But how much?

To work that out you need to know how much your solar array will generate and an approximation of what your expected costs will be.  

How many solar panels will fit on a roof

When our project started we used to measure roofs with the ruler on Google Earth and work out how many panels would fit on, look at MCS datasets to work out how efficient they would be at that pitch and orientation, and finally how much the array would generate. Fortunately, technology has moved on since then and there are now websites which make this process a lot easier! 

OpenSolar is a free online tool you can use to assess what size of solar array is suitable for a building based on its roof space and its electricity demand.  You can choose from a range of different panel makes and models, and then you just ‘drag and drop’ to design your solar array.  Not only that, it will also estimate how much of the solar electricity the building will use and how much the system could cost to install.

A couple of tips:

• Solar panels can be installed on flat or pitched roofs. If you choose the 3D view in OpenSolar, it will automatically align the panels to fit the roof pitch and orientation.
• Keep an eye out for trees and other buildings that might cause shading problems.
• It’s more expensive to install solar panels on slate roofs than on tiled roofs, flat roofs or corrugated metal roofs. 
• The default electricity profile on OpenSolar is for a domestic property.  For more accurate modelling, you can enter monthly or annual electricity usage data and configure the demand profile – for example, schools tend to use lots of electricity during the week and less at evenings and weekends when they’re closed.

We always work closely with our installer, who will propose a design for the array based on their experience.  Even at the desktop stage, they have an eye for whether a particular roof will be suitable.  They provide estimates for generation, onsite electricity usage (based on site data) and up to date market pricing. We rely on their projections for our final modelling.

However, OpenSolar is a great tool to use as a rough guide to help work out what our proposition is going to be. 

Wellington School celebration event

On Thursday 18th April, Wellington School hosted an event to celebrate the successful installation of our new 388 kWp solar array. The new “rooftop powerstation” was made possible by GMCR and of course the wonderful community who have invested over £350,000 to make the project a reality.

On the night we heard from the school’s eco-committee who expressed their delight at having renewables on their roofs and how this forms part of their education in class.

The joint event held by Altrincham Interfaith Group and GMCR was also an opportunity to discuss how to reduce carbon pollution from other local buildings. Richard Baker from Middleton Community Power and Solar for GM Faiths spoke about the key questions facing places of worship as they grapple to decarbonise their (often old and inefficient) buildings. Sukhbir Singh spoke about his personal journey toward a low carbon lifestyle and the hidden challenges faced when trying to retrofit your house.

It was fantastic to hear from so many concerned residents, parents and organisations from around the area who gave their support to the initiative. We look forward to working with Wellington School over the lifespan of the project.

Solar performance

In the period January to March 2024, our ten solar arrays generated 64,583 kWh of electricity. This is 7.9% below our projections, as February/March were even less sunny than usual, but 78% more than last year, due to the switch on of the array at Wellington School in mid February.  

This was enough to make 3.5 million cups of tea and save 24 tonnes of CO2. Our site partners used 47,499 kWh (74% of generation) and collectively saved £3,770 on their electricity bills this quarter.

Thank you for your support!

We hope you’re keeping well, have had a good start to the year, and are starting to enjoy the slightly longer and lighter days.

We have some bits to update you on since our last newsletter. Our solar panels and our volunteers have still been working away during the colder months!

Wellington School Completion
We’re pleased to confirm the completion of the Wellington School installation, in Timperley! All solar panels are now up and producing low-carbon energy for the site, which is fantastic. It’s officially our largest site, and the school buildings are now home to 946 solar panels, generating enough electricity each year to make over 16 million cups of tea. 

Here’s photo of Kate and Ali (two of our Directors) on the roof with Ben and Phil from NPS Solar and Gemma from Wellington School. If you’d like to see more, check out this amazing drone footage – once you’ve opened the Google Photos page, click on the image to play the video.

Solar performance of existing sites
In the period October to December 2023, our nine solar arrays generated 24,428 kWh of electricity, enough to make 1.3 million cups of tea and save over 5 tonnes of CO₂. Our site partners used 20,732 kWh (85% of generation) and collectively saved £1,785 on their electricity bills this quarter.

Spreading the word
We continue to spread the word about our project, and would be most grateful if you could encourage friends and family to subscribe to our newsletter at our website or to follow us on Facebook or X (Twitter).

Thank you for your support!

Following a community share offer in summer 2023, local social enterprise Greater Manchester Community Renewables (GMCR) has installed the largest community-owned solar array in Greater Manchester at Wellington School in Timperley.

On World Environment Day 2023 (5 June) a share offer was launched with the aim of raising £350,000 in community investment. By 7 September the target had been reached and installation of the panels began during the Christmas break with the final section completed in February half term.

The school buildings are now home to 946 solar panels and will generate enough electricity each year to make over 16 million cups of tea [2]. The array, covering seven of the secondary school’s roofs, will reduce the school’s carbon footprint and save them thousands of pounds on their energy bills.

Stuart Beeley, Headteacher at Wellington School, said:

“The climate crisis is a key issue facing our society which will have a significant impact on the lives of our students. To be supplying classrooms and facilities with clean, renewable energy day-to-day is a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work of everyone involved.

“Working with GMCR has not only made us more sustainable, we are also exploring how the solar array can be used in maths, geography and science lessons, as part of our mission to prepare our students for tomorrow’s global society.”

GMCR Director and Co-founder Kate Eldridge said:

“We’re really excited that this array is now up and running, and starting to help the school to save money and cut carbon.

“We want to say a huge thank you to everyone in the community who has invested in this project, and to the staff at Wellington School for their leadership and support throughout the process.

“It just goes to show what communities can achieve when we come together to tackle the climate crisis.”

GMCR now has solar arrays on ten sites. The arrays at their existing nine sites have collectively generated enough electricity to charge over 76 million smartphones, saved over £160,000 on their energy bills and prevented more than 350 tonnes of carbon emissions from polluting power stations. [3]

The solar array at Wellington School was funded through community shares purchased by 136 people and organisations, of which 83% are from Greater Manchester. This brings GMCR’s total membership to 328, who collectively own the solar arrays and decide how much of the profits to invest in new arrays or distribute as grants for eco-friendly projects.

To find out more about GMCR and any future share offers you can sign up for their newsletter at their website, www.gmcr.org.uk.

ENDS

Notes to the editor

1. Greater Manchester Community Renewables Limited (GMCR) is a community benefit society, set up and run by volunteers to install community-owned renewable energy across Greater Manchester.

2. 16 million cups of tea is calculated based on estimated generation of 300,000kWh, and using an ‘average kettle’ of 2200 Watts and 1.7L which takes around 4 minutes to boil.

3. GMCR’s solar arrays have generated 1.5 million kWh of clean electricity to date.  76 million smartphones is calculated using a smartphone battery of 4000mAh using 0.02kWh to fully charge.

CO₂ savings are calculated based on UK grid intensity for generation and transmission.

4. Installing a 388 kWp solar array at Wellington School has more than doubled the size of GMCR’s solar capacity (the existing 9 sites total c. 350kWp).  In the first full year of operation, we expect that our ten sites will:
–  generate 575,000 kWh of clean, green electricity
–  save approximately 80 tonnes of carbon dioxide

We hope you’re keeping well and are feeling reasonably festive, though days are a little shorter and darker at the moment.

We have some bits to update you on since our last newsletter. Our solar panels and our volunteers have all been busy and productive during the summer!

Share Offer Update
We’re pleased to share that the fundraising target for the Wellington School solar array has been achieved with the help of some impact investors. These are individuals and a foundation who are investing specifically for the positive impact on society that our GMCR project will have.  This means the installation work can now proceed!

Solar performance of existing sites
In the period July to September 2023, our nine solar arrays generated 94,326 kWh of electricity. This is broadly in line with budget and enough to make 5 million cups of tea and save over 21 tonnes of CO2.

Our site partners used 67,556 kWh (72% of generation) and collectively saved a massive £39,864 on their electricity bills this quarter!

Spreading the word
We continue to spread the word about our project, and would be most grateful if you could encourage friends and family to subscribe to our newsletter here or to follow us on Facebook or X (Twitter).

Thank you for your support!

With best wishes for the festive season,

On behalf of the GMCR Board

As you may be aware, the closing date for our share offer is tomorrow (Sunday 16 July). We had extended it by a few days while we were waiting for some of the permissions we need and it seems to have come round quickly!

We’ve had some good news this week in relation to permissions:
✅ Prior approval from the local planning authority
✅ Grid connection offer from Electricity North West, so we can export up to 200kW from the site if it’s not needed by the school

We’re in dialogue with the Department for Education about the lease of the roof airspace above the school, alongside the school and both parties’ solicitors.

We’ve raised £190,100 so far – this is more than we’ve ever raised in a single share offer! Thanks to everyone who has invested.

If we can get to £225,000, we can use some GMCR reserves and the new shares to install solar panels on two buildings at the school plus a further 75kW on a third roof area. There is room for more on that roof, so if we beat that target, even better!

We’ll keep you updated on how things go but if you are planning to invest and haven’t done so yet, now is the time!

We’ve reached a crucial time for our project to install a solar array at Wellington School.  We continue to wait for the planning permission, grid connection consent and Department for Education (DfE) approval.  We know the relevant authorities are looking at our applications, but we haven’t had their formal responses yet.

As you know, we extended the share offer period until Sunday 16 July to collect more investment while we wait for those permissions to come through.  We spent the weekend at the Sustainability Show where it was a pleasure to talk to like minded people about the project.  We had lots of volunteers helping out on the day and making further offers to support us – thank you!

We’ve raised £163,700 so far and have 6 days to go… Let’s keep spreading the word so we can get as many panels on the school roof as we can! All the details of the share offer together with the online application form can be found on our Invest page.

Thanks so much for your support!

It’s been a busy week! We’ve been to 8 events spreading the word about our project to install solar panels at Wellington School since our update last Monday.  

We’re proud of GMCR and love telling people about the benefits solar panels will bring to Wellington School and the environment.  We also love to quote achievements from our existing sites, such as how many cups of tea we could have made with the energy generated so far (70 million!) and how much our partners have saved on their bills (£70,000).  And while we hope people will invest to help the community, mentioning the 5% share interest and capital repayment over 10 years emphasises that we’re seeking investment rather than donations.

Highlights of our week included meeting the Wellington School eco-committee, and the photo from that day was published in the Manchester Evening News and in Altrincham Today.  Ali was on BBC Radio Manchester (from 22 minutes), Kate was on That’s Manchester TV, and we’ve been to the school open day (pictured below) and to Timperley Sports Club.

We’ve raised £115,700 so far, so close to our Minimum target of £120,000!  Can you help us get there? Find out how on our Invest page.

If we do make our minimum target, we won’t be stopping there.  If we can make it to £175,000, we’ll be able to cover two out of the three roof areas at the school which are suitable for solar panels.  So that’s the next milestone on our way to the big target of £350,000.

Next weekend you’ll find us at Altrincham Festival.  If anyone wants to come along and help out at our stall, you’d be most welcome as we’ll be there on both Saturday and Sunday from 11am to around 4pm.  Please contact us on info@gmcr.org.uk if you can join us.

As you may know, we’re on a mission to raise £350,000 in community investment to fund the installation of solar panels at Wellington School in Timperley.  This will save the school money on their electricity bills, meaning they’ll have more to spend on education, as well as reducing their carbon footprint. 

The share offer is open to individuals and businesses and the minimum investment is £100.  We’re planning to pay annual share interest at 5% from 2025 and repay capital in instalments over 10 years.  Please note that these projections are subject to the performance of the Society and capital is at risk.

We’ve been out and about promoting the share offer at a range of events including Didsbury Festival, the Northern Sustainability Summit (pictured below), and the MMU Sustainability Festival, as well as delivering leaflets in the Wellington School neighbourhood.

Thanks so much to everyone who has invested with us!  Your support is much appreciated.  We’ve raised £48,400 so far, so we’re making good progress towards the Minimum target but still have a long way to go before we reach £350,000!

However, we have plenty more community engagement lined up over the next couple of weeks.  We’re meeting the school’s eco-committee today and talking about our project at the school’s upcoming open day, at Timperley Sports Club and at Altrincham Festival.

It’s our most ambitious share offer yet so we’d be really grateful for your help to get the message out to anyone else who might be interested in investing. You can share our posts on social media (on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) and download the share offer from our Invest page.