January 31, 2020 View all news WIN SOLAR PANELS for your local school!Young people all over Ireland calling for climate action while sitting in classrooms and learning in old buildings powered by fossil fuels. Meanwhile, Friends of the Earth are building a movement behind solar power in Ireland, that’s why we are running a competition to put solar panels on schools! Enter Now!!This competition is an excellent opportunity for communities to participate in renewable energy generation, and schools are the ideal place for valuable community-based education to occur. The competition will play an important role in encouraging communities to take the first step on their sustainable energy journey.Watch what young people have to say about solar on schools: We think every school should be a Solar School but unfortunately, it’s really difficult to make this happen, that's why our 'Solar Schools' project has big plans to break down the barriers!! We have two key demands for government:Allow microgenerators (e.g. homes or community-owned solar panels) to sell their excess power - right now they are feeding it back to the grid for free!Extend planning exemptions for solar panels to include schools. Schools still have to apply for planning permission for even one solar panel! This is a huge additional cost.They are listening! Minister Murphy committed to changing the planning regulations, so schools don’t have to apply for planning permission which they do at the moment AND the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland will be offering grants for solar panels for schools. Last year we helped 5 schools go solar. This year will be helping a bunch more schools showcase the potential of community-owned solar power and push for a cleaner energy future for all! Primary and Secondary school winner in each region!To win this great prize and be part of the energy transition all schools need to do is come up with an idea for a local climate action project, and tell us about it in a short video.Click Here to Apply! Deadline Valentine’s Day 2020 (14th Feb).Check out our map showing all the teachers / students / parents who have signed up to support Solar on Schools. Click here to sign up too. Categorised in: Energy Tagged with: Community Energy Solar Schools