CBS announces major partnership with Triodos

The Solar for Schools Community Benefit Society (CBS), one of our core funding partners, recently announced a major new finance initiative with Triodos Bank to help us grow our network of solar-powered schools.

Over the last few months, we’ve worked closely with the CBS on this raise, and we believe this is the first time in the UK that a school-owned entity has secured bank finance. As a global leader in ethical finance, Triodos Bank is an organisation we’re very proud to be aligned with. And in partnering with the Solar for Schools Community Benefit Society - the only CBS run by schools, for schools - Triodos Bank has created a blueprint for scaling community-led finance.

“There are nearly 25,000 schools in the UK alone, requiring about £2b to install solar on all sensible roofs” explains our CEO Robert Schrimpff.

"However, individually these schools are too small to attract low-cost project finance. Creating a funding structure that addresses the needs and limitations of each school, the councils and the Department for Education, while meeting the strict requirements of institutional lenders is key to unlocking solar across the educational estate. Getting Triodos onboard as a backer for the CBS is a vital milestone in proving that we have created such a structure. It will enable more funders to support schools with confidence. We can now focus on replicating this structure for church-owned schools, larger councils and other community energy groups to enable thousands of schools to go solar.”

To find out more, go to: https://www.solarforschoolscbs.org.uk/triodos