Author: Oliver Wakefield-Smith, Founder Digital Signet. Reviewed against DfE Sustainability Strategy (Mar 2025) and Education Estates Strategy (Feb 2026). Verified 22 June 2026.
£1,100 per kWp installed for a school rooftop array in 2026. Larger arrays above 100 kWp benefit from per-kWp economies; smaller primaries fitting only 25 to 40 kWp pay a per-kWp premium near £1,250.
£1,100 per kWp installed for a school rooftop array in 2026. Larger arrays above 100 kWp benefit from per-kWp economies; smaller primaries fitting only 25 to 40 kWp pay a per-kWp premium near £1,250.
A typical primary roof carries 25 to 60 kWp; a typical secondary carries 80 to 250 kWp. Structural surveys often constrain the kWp before the roof area does, especially on pitched 1960s and 1970s stock.
Solar for Schools and similar PPA operators front the CAPEX and sell electricity to the school below the Ofgem Q3 2026 cap (26.11p/kWh elec). The 15 to 25 year PPA term carries no CAPEX exposure for the school; CAPEX-funded installs return a faster payback if PSDS or Mayoral Renewables grants are stacked.
Around 880 kWh per kWp per year for a UK schools roof at mid-latitude with mixed pitch and orientation. At 26.11p/kWh that is £230 of saved electricity per kWp per year before PPA tariff or export.