Schools switch on to solar power

The Building Research Establishment, Ove Arup & Partners and Pilkington Technology are among the members of a new consortium which has been established to promote the use of solar electric power in the UK.

The three are members of the œ2 million Scolar Programme, set up as part of the Government's Foresight Initiative to give children working experience of photovoltaics in 100 schools and colleges around the UK.

Solar panels will be installed in a wide variety of architectural styles, from unobtrusive positions on walls and roofs to incorporation in a specially built high visibility atrium or entrance porch.

All the systems will be linked via the Internet to achieve maximum impact and reach a wider national and international audience.

The aim of the project is to familiarise a new generation with the technology.

The scheme also aims to demonstrate the opportunities of incorporating photovoltaic panels as an attractive architectural medium as well as a source of energy in the built environment.