The educational institution also has plans to install 650 PV panels making its main campus completely self-sufficient in energy. This is designed to generate extra income from the Feed-in Tariff (estimated at £378,000 over the next 25 years), reduce electricity bills and decrease the college’s reliance on central government funding.
Sundog Energy has been appointed to install the first 200 panels this month at a cost of £90,000 whilst the solar roof will be developed in conjunction with Heriot-Watt University and iPower.
Miles Dibsdall, OBE, Principal of Edinburgh’s Telford College which has 17,000 students, said: “We have a strong commitment to developing and strengthening our green credentials and the installation of the solar panel roof, with the other technologies we are planning, is a major endorsement of this pledge.
“It will provide us with a ground-breaking, living and breathing renewable energy model that will allow both students and teaching staff to upskill their learning in this field.
“In addition, not only will it help us become greener in our energy practices and allow us to become a fore-runner in the UK for energy efficient buildings, but it will also work to help reduce our energy costs, making it a substantial, sustainable investment both environmentally and financially.”
Scotland’s energy minister, Fergus Ewing, added: “I congratulate Edinburgh’s Telford College on the exemplary role it is playing in Scotland’s green energy revolution, installing one of the biggest solar roof panels in Scotland, which will provide electricity for the college; as well as launching a renewable energy centre to help ensure we have the skilled workforce to allow Scotland’s burgeoning renewables sector to continue to grow.”