Care home solar — blog and sector intelligence
Honest, in-depth articles on the questions UK care home operators actually ask. New posts monthly.
AoC & EAUC Sector Events 2026 — Where FE Sustainability Leads Should Be
Calendar of UK FE sustainability sector events 2026 — AoC Annual Conference, EAUC events, Climate Action Roadmap regional summits, and where Sustainability Leads should attend.
21 May 2026
Battery Degradation Modelling — 25-Year Performance for FE College Solar+Storage
How to model battery capacity retention over 25 years for UK FE college solar+storage projects, and what depth-of-discharge limits to specify.
21 May 2026
FE College Energy Procurement — CCS RM6011 + Aggregated Buying
How UK FE corporations procure their electricity supply via CCS RM6011, sector aggregators (AoC Energy, ESPO, YPO), and the interaction with on-site solar.
21 May 2026
Off-Grid Microgrids for Rural FE Colleges — Outpost Campuses + Land-Based Estates
Where off-grid solar microgrids make sense for UK FE colleges with rural outpost campuses, land-based estates, and remote training facilities.
21 May 2026
FE College Solar Sector Supplier Comparison — Inverters, Panels, Batteries 2026
Sector-supplier comparison for UK FE college solar — tier-1 panel manufacturers, commercial inverter families, battery storage manufacturers ranked for the FE use case.
21 May 2026
Wholesale Trading vs SEG Export — FE College Solar Export Routes Compared
When UK FE colleges with substantial solar generation should consider wholesale market trading vs Smart Export Guarantee. Threshold, structure, contract types.
21 May 2026
District Heat Networks + FE College Solar — Integration Opportunities
How UK FE colleges integrate with adjacent district heat networks for decarbonised heat, alongside on-site solar PV.
21 May 2026
FE College Bond Market Finance — Alternative to Salix at Group Corp Scale
When UK FE group corporations access the bond market for solar + decarbonisation capital. Issuance, pricing, and the November 2022 ONS reclassification effect.
21 May 2026
Mid-Life Inverter Refresh for FE College Solar — Year 10-15 Decision
How UK FE colleges manage solar inverter refurbishment or replacement at year 10-15 of the asset life. Cost, timing, manufacturer options.
21 May 2026
Scope-3 Emissions Baseline for FE Colleges — Procurement, Travel, Food
How UK FE corporations build a scope-3 emissions baseline for AoC Climate Action Plan reporting. Procurement, business travel, commuter, food + waste categories.
21 May 2026
Solar Carports & Canopies for FE College Car Parks — 2026 Sector Guide
When and how UK FE colleges install solar carports / canopies over staff and student car parks. Capex, payback, EV charging integration.
21 May 2026
Supply Chain Due Diligence for FE College Solar — Modern Slavery, ESG, Country-of-Manufacture
How UK FE corporations should approach supply chain due diligence for solar PV procurement — Modern Slavery Act, ESG criteria, country-of-manufacture transparency.
21 May 2026
Salix vs PSDS Phase 4 — Which Route Should Your College Choose?
Decision framework for FE college estates teams choosing between Salix Decarbonisation Loan and PSDS Phase 4 capital grant for solar projects.
19 May 2026
PSDS Phase 5 — What FE Colleges Should Plan For
PSDS Phase 4 round 3 results announced May 2026; Phase 5 expected autumn 2026. What FE Sustainability Leads should plan for in scoring criteria, bundle requirements, and bid timing.
19 May 2026
Sustainability Lead Recruitment for FE Colleges — Role Design and Recruitment Pathway
How UK FE corporations recruit, scope and onboard their first board-level Sustainability Lead under the AoC Climate Action Roadmap mandate.
19 May 2026
Writing Your First AoC Climate Action Plan — A Sustainability Lead's Guide
Practical framework for new FE college Sustainability Leads writing their first Climate Action Plan under the AoC/EAUC roadmap framework.
17 May 2026
O&M Contracts for FE College Solar — What to Specify and What to Pay
Operations and maintenance contract terms, scope, pricing and performance guarantees for UK FE college solar PV installations after commissioning.
17 May 2026
Multi-Site Portfolio Solar Programmes for FE Group Corporations
How group corp Sustainability Directors plan, fund and deliver portfolio solar programmes across 3-15 campus FE estates.
15 May 2026
MEES Extension and FE College Estate — What the 2030 EPC B Mandate Means
How the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) 2030 EPC B mandate affects FE college non-domestic estate. EPC pathway planning + solar's contribution.
15 May 2026
Roof Refurbishment + Solar PV — Sequencing the Two on an FE College Estate
When to refurbish a roof before solar PV install, when to combine, and how to plan the long-cycle interaction between roof end-of-life and 25-year PV asset.
15 May 2026
Listed Building Consent — Solar on Heritage College Estates
How FE colleges, sixth form colleges and specialist designated institutions handle Listed Building Consent for solar PV on Grade II and Grade II* main buildings.
13 May 2026
BREEAM Excellent on New T-Level Workshops — Where Solar Fits
How FE colleges design T-Level workshop new-builds to BREEAM Excellent and where rooftop solar PV contributes to credits.
13 May 2026
Performance Monitoring SLAs for FE College Solar — What to Demand
What service-level agreements UK FE colleges should specify for solar PV performance monitoring, fault detection, and reporting cadence.
13 May 2026
Why Land-Based Colleges Have the Strongest Solar Economics in FE
How agricultural, equestrian and horticultural college estates deliver 5.0-5.8 year Salix-funded paybacks — the best in the FE sector.
11 May 2026
V2G + Solar + Fleet EV — Integrated Energy Systems for FE Colleges
How FE colleges integrate Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) bidirectional EV charging with on-campus solar and battery storage for revenue and resilience.
11 May 2026
EPC Certificate Types for FE College Estate — DECs, EPCs, MEES and Solar
What EPCs, DECs and MEES regulations mean for UK FE college non-domestic estate, and where solar PV contributes to certificate rating improvement.
11 May 2026
G99 DNO Application Timeline for FE College Solar Projects
What FE college estates teams need to know about G99 grid connection applications, DNO timelines, and managing parallel-track project delivery.
9 May 2026
Procurement Frameworks for FE College Solar — CCS, ESPO, YPO, NEPRO
Which UK public procurement frameworks FE colleges use for solar installer appointment. CCS RM6189, ESPO, YPO, NEPRO Solar, and direct tender comparison.
9 May 2026
Insurance and Warranty for FE College Solar — 25-Year Coverage Stack
What insurance and warranty cover UK FE colleges should require on solar PV — panel performance, inverter, workmanship, and corporation-level insurance.
9 May 2026
Skills England Transition (June 2025) — What It Means for FE Solar Projects
How the replacement of IfATE with Skills England affects FE college solar funding, project rationale, and Climate Action Plan strategy.
7 May 2026
Heat Networks and FE College Estate — Where Solar Fits the Decarbonisation Stack
How UK cities developing district heat networks affect FE college estate decarbonisation strategy and where solar PV fits alongside heat network connection.
7 May 2026
Battery Storage for FE College Solar — When the Numbers Stack Up
Decision framework for adding battery storage to FE college solar installs. When batteries pay back, when they don't, and how to size them.
5 May 2026
T-Level Green Skills Curriculum — Using On-Campus Solar as a Teaching Resource
How FE colleges integrate live solar generation data into T-Level Building Services Engineering, Construction, Engineering and Digital curriculum delivery.
3 May 2026
Smart Export Guarantee — Best Tariffs for FE College Solar Exports in 2026
Comparing Smart Export Guarantee tariffs for FE college solar projects. Octopus, E.ON Next, EDF, Scottish Power, OVO and others ranked for non-domestic export.
1 May 2026
Structural Survey and Asbestos Management for Pre-2000 FE College Estate
What FE estates teams need to know about structural roof surveys and asbestos management on the pre-2000 college building stock that dominates the sector.
29 April 2026
ESFA Post-16 Audit Code — What Applies to FE College Solar Projects
How the ESFA Post-16 Audit Code governs Salix loan applications, PSDS bids, and capital project reporting for FE college solar projects.
27 April 2026
Welsh Colleges and Solar — Net Zero Wales by 2030
How Welsh FE colleges access Salix, Welsh Government Energy Service, and Net Zero Wales public sector funding for solar projects.
25 April 2026
Scottish Colleges and Solar — SFC, SRUC, UHI and the Net Zero Path
How Scottish FE colleges access decarbonisation funding under Scottish Government Net Zero policy and the Scottish Funding Council framework.
23 April 2026
Northern Ireland Colleges and Solar — CAFRE, Belfast Met, Regional Colleges
How NI FE colleges access decarbonisation funding through DfE NI, the Northern Ireland Executive, and UK-wide schemes.
21 April 2026
In-House Ownership vs PPA — Which FE College Solar Model Wins?
Detailed comparison of capital purchase (Salix-funded), PPA, and lease structures for FE college solar projects. NPV, governance, and risk implications.
19 April 2026
Agritech Curriculum and Solar — Turning Your Land-Based Estate into a Live Teaching Lab
How land-based colleges integrate live solar generation, battery storage, and EV/tractor charging data into agritech, agriculture and sustainable land management curriculum delivery.
17 April 2026
EV Charging Integration with FE College Solar — Staff Fleet, Student Cars, Tractors
How FE colleges design EV charging infrastructure alongside solar PV — staff fleet, student commuters, residential SDIs, and agricultural EV at land-based colleges.
15 April 2026
Year-One Implementation Checklist for FE College Solar Projects
Month-by-month delivery checklist for an FE Sustainability Lead delivering the first year of a college solar programme — from board approval to commissioning.
13 April 2026
Reporting to the Corporation Board — Solar in the AoC Climate Action Plan Progress Update
Practical template and structure for reporting solar project outcomes to the FE corporation board as part of the AoC Climate Action Plan annual update.
11 April 2026
EAUC Sustainability Leadership Scorecard — How FE Colleges Score Well
Practical framework for FE Sustainability Leads completing the annual EAUC Sustainability Leadership Scorecard return. What scores Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum.
9 April 2026
DNO by Region — G99 Connection Patterns for FE College Solar Across the UK
Region-by-region DNO guide for FE college solar projects. Northern Powergrid, UK Power Networks, WPD, SSEN, SP Manweb, SPEN, NIE Networks.
7 April 2026