*Senator Roisin Garvey, Ádhamh Leydon, Emer O’Donnell, Ciara Dee, principal Dara Glynn with RTÉ’s Teresa Mannion.
AN ENNIS primary school has become the first fully solar powered school in Ireland.
CBS Ennis is Ireland’s first school to produce all its electricity using solar power. The school has managed to cut its energy bill by €10,000 through the installation of solar panels on its roof which has generated more green energy than the school used.
Solar panels were installed on the roof of the school in October 2022, providing 40kw of energy. The school reported that in 2023, it generated 39.48mw (Megawatts) of electricity while using only 32.40mw. The excess energy was sold back to the national grid, earning revenue for the school.
This energy created prevented almost 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted, saving the equivalent of more than 2,000 ten-year-old trees or a seven-acre forest.
Dara Glynn, principal of CBS Ennis said there was a strong aim to be a carbon neutral school when their new premises were completed in 2019.
€67,000 was the cost of the entire project which was raised by the school community over the last number of years. Mr Glynn said the solar panels “will pay themselves off over the next six or seven years because it’s already saved us about €10,000 in electricity bills”.
Senator Roisin Garvey (GP) said, “It is amazing to see a school with over 650 students become completely powered by solar energy and save money in doing so. This shows that switching to clean, green energy can be done and the Green Party is working to ensure every school in Ireland will follow in the footsteps of Ennis”.
Inagh native Roisin continued, “Credit must be given to the Principal Dara Glynn for driving this and to all the school community for fundraising together to help make it happen. I know from speaking with Dara that the decision by this Government to remove the need for planning permission to erect the panels was motivating factor in their decision to do this. Children are demanding this type of action, as it is their future we must protect”.
Founded in 1827, CBS Ennis is the longest CBS established primary school in Ennis and has a teaching staff of 32.
