TWO expanding schools will be fitted with their own solar panels thanks to a £50,000 funding scheme.

Saltdean Primary School, in Chiltington Way, and St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, in Belfast Street, Hove, are set for the renewable energy technology thanks to an initiative from Brighton and Hove City Council.

A total of £50,000 has already been ring-fenced for school solar panels by the council for 2014/15.

Councillors at a children and young people committee meeting indicated their hope of pledging the same amount in 2015/16.

Hove Junior School, in Holland Road, was the first school to benefit from the funding, which was agreed earlier in the year.

The school had 30 solar panels fitted at a cost of £19,000.

Having gone live in the summer, the panels are expected to generate around 8514kWh of electricity a year – the equivalent of powering three average sized homes over 12 months.

The school will also earn more than £1,000 per year from the government backed Feed-In-Tariff scheme which is guaranteed for 12 years.

Council officers told the Hove Town Hall meeting that the next stage of the scheme was in early development. However, provided the planning applications for Saltdean Primary and St Andrew’s Church of England Primary are accepted, they would be the next two to be fitted with panels.

The cost for the two schools would come from the existing money from the 2014/15 budget. Schools with solar panels will also get a screen to put in a prominent place which updates children and staff about the power generated and Co2 reduced.

Councillors on the committee, led by chairwoman, Councillor Sue Shanks, welcomed the success so far and proposed the funding be agreed again for the next financial year.

She said: “Solar panels are a great investment not just in the environment, but also as an educational tool and as a revenue source for each school.

“We want to help as many schools as possible with their solar panel plans, particularly those that have signed up to the national Solar Schools project.”

In a report to the committee, Pinaki Ghoshal, director of children’s services, added: “As well as raising external funds either through specific funding streams or parental and community support, any installation should lead to a reduction in on-going utility costs as well as having an educational benefit from the installation.”