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MK Community Energy is partnering with Solar for Schools to install 1 MW of solar in local MK schools over the next 18 months.

A partnership between Milton Keynes Community Energy and Solar for Schools

Sign up your school for solar today!

What MK schools will do together:

Why this is good for MK schools

MKCE builds strong partnerships - JPG

Hassle free

We make the process effortless for your school to go solar and become a recognised sustainability leader in MK.
MKCE creates community investment opportunities - JPG

Flexible finance

We handle the upfront capital costs, installation, and manage the solar PV system 24/7 so that you don't have to.
Local energy for local people - a circular community economy

Community benefit

With profits staying local, your school will be helping to fund MKCE energy programmes to reduce energy consumption and fuel poverty across MK.
MKCE generates its own income - JPG

Savings

You only pay for the energy you use, at a lower rate than the market price, reducing your school's long term operational costs.
MKCE is owned by our member community

Education

Year on year, your students learn about solar energy, sustainability, and climate change through monitoring the performance of your school's solar.

Frequently

asked questions

What does Milton Keynes Community Energy do?

Milton Keynes Community Energy (MKCE) installs and manages our community-owned solar. Founded in 2015, we operate 19 solar arrays across the city and have already generated around 3 million kWhs of solar energy.

We are a not-for-profit community benefit society, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority with the purpose of providing community-owned renewable energy projects and improve energy efficiency across MK. Our surplus is reinvested (by law) back into the Milton Keynes community.

Our community programmes focus on reducing energy use, saving energy costs and cutting carbon emissions. We do this through energy-saving initiatives such as our flagship programme Home Energy MK.

Our members are those that invest to provide the solar on behalf of the schools and other organisations. We are governed by a voluntary Board of Directors proposed and elected by those members.

Solar for Schools is a Community Benefit Society, a not-for-profit entity, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, with the purpose of decarbonising society by funding solar and energy education in schools. Its shareholders or members are the schools it provides solar panels to. It is governed by a board of voluntary directors proposed and elected by the school members. Surpluses after paying back lenders are used for the benefit of the schools, by either providing further reductions to their electricity bill or additional learning equipment such as solar explorer kits. The CBS has raised over £6m to date, from nearly 1,000 individual bondholders, to fund over 15MW of solar power on over 150 schools so far.

Learning is brought to life for your students through practical, hands-on experiences delivered by our education partners at Solar for Schools.

Once your solar PV system is installed and operational, students can participate in interactive lessons and workshops that reveal how solar energy reduces their school’s carbon footprint and lowers energy costs.

Students are engaged with real-time data from your school’s community-owned solar PV system to give them a deeper understanding of renewable energy and its wider impact.

But the benefits of having your students involved doesn’t stop there… Solar for Schools teaching specialists are committed to supporting your school for the full 25-year lifespan of the system.

By learning about decarbonisation, students become ambassadors for change, inspiring parents and others to take action and further support our community energy initiatives in MK. The ripple effect of their advocacy can therefore amplify the system’s impact, achieving up to 10 times the carbon savings of the panels alone.

Milton Keynes Community Energy is partnering with Solar for Schools to run the “1MW Solar for MK Schools” programme. Both organisations are aligned in our values, principles and methods of operation. We will install community-owned solar offering cheaper, stable pricing for the long term for our schools.

The benefit of this partnership is that the surplus profits generated from MK schools programme will be reinvested in Milton Keynes. The programme will therefore benefit not just the schools involved, but also the broader community.

Solar for Schools is a national organisation with an excellent school education programme. All schools that sign up with us on this scheme will be able to take advantage of that.

Register your interest and one of our team will get in touch.

Bannister House Solar, image courtesy of Repowering London
Bannister House Solar, image courtesy of Repowering London
Cllr Shanika Mahendran - MKCC Green Business Fund announcement
Cllr Shanika Mahendran - MKCC Green Business Fund announcement
Image credit: Community Energy England
Image credit: Community Energy England
Radcliffe School assembly stage photo
Radcliffe School in Wolverton celebrates their new community solar array

How your organisation benefits:

  • Lower electricity bills from day 1, and for the long-term.
  • Low risk and no upfront cost: MKCE funds, installs, owns and maintains the panels.
  • A fixed electricity price set below grid rates, for greater certainty over your energy costs.
  • Every installation funds community benefit across Milton Keynes.
Register your interest

Backed by Milton Keynes City Council's Green Business Fund

A simpler way for MK businesses, charities and community groups to go solar

Unlike a commercial installation that needs up-front capital, our model removes the financial and operational barriers that stop most organisations going solar. You buy only the clean electricity you use, generated on your own roof, while we take on the cost, the maintenance, and the risk.