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Greater Manchester Community Renewables
Greater Manchester Community RenewablesStarted by a small group of volunteers who wanted to bring community-owned solar to Greater Manchester's schools, Greater Manchester Community Renewables (GMCR) has now generated enough clean electricity to make an eyebrow-raising 16 million cups of tea.
Project overview
GMCR is a community benefit society, set up and run entirely by volunteers, with a simple aim: install community-owned renewable energy across Greater Manchester, and use the proceeds to fund local environmental education and eco-friendly projects.
It was founded in 2015 by Kate Eldridge, who brought experience from volunteering with Stockport Hydro, along with a handful of fellow volunteers who believed solar on schools was a low-risk way to build community energy solidarity in the city-region.
About the project
Solar on schools, savings for schools
GMCR's model is refreshingly simple: identify a school or community building with a good roof, raise the capital through a community share offer, install the panels, and pass on a discount on the electricity generated. To date, GMCR has installed solar across nine sites, including schools in Salford, Manchester and Partington, plus a leisure centre in Trafford — and its arrays have generated over 2 million kWh of clean electricity along the way.
The savings add up fast. At Springwood Primary School in Swinton, headteacher Val Williams reported that solar installed with GMCR's support in 2019 had already saved the school over £30,000 on its energy bills.
Funding the next four sites
GMCR's most recent community share offer set out to fund solar arrays on two special schools in Salford, a primary school in Manchester and a leisure centre in Trafford:
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Over 600 solar panels to be installed across the four sites
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Enough electricity generated in year one to make around 16 million cups of tea
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Investors offered share interest of up to 5% a year, subject to performance
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Surpluses paid into GMCR's Community Fund, which has already added £60,000 to school eco-projects and recently awarded £15,000 to three local environmental groups
With just around 15 volunteers behind it, GMCR is proof that you don't need a big team to make a big difference, just a lot of passion, a lot of spreadsheets, and a lot of very sunny school roofs.