- Category
- Largest NI FE provider
- Location
- Belfast
- DNO
- NIE Networks
- Est. PV capacity
- 1.2 MW
About Belfast Metropolitan College (Belfast Met)
Largest FE provider in Northern Ireland. Climate Change Act NI 2022 framework applies. DfE NI sustainability and decarbonisation capital accessible. Established sustainability strategy with scope-2 net zero by 2030 commitment.
The estate at Belfast Met
6-campus portfolio: Castlereagh, College Square East (main), Whiterock, Gerald Moag, Springvale, Titanic Quarter Innovation Campus (2018 modern build). Combined building footprint ~14,000 sqm.
From a solar PV perspective this delivers 1.2 MW across the portfolio. With 380 kW of daytime baseload typical, self-consumption stays around 65% — strong for the sector. The DNO for Belfast Met is NIE Networks.
Curriculum integration
T-Level equivalents (NI delivery framework), apprenticeships, Foundation Degrees. Titanic Quarter Innovation Campus particularly suited to digital and engineering green-skills delivery.
Funding stack for Belfast Met
DfE NI Sustainability and Decarbonisation Capital + NI Executive Energy Strategy capital + Belfast City Council climate funds + cross-border decarbonisation projects (INTERREG / Shared Island Fund) where applicable. Estimated portfolio capex £1.0m-£1.3m.
Detailed funding-route deep-dives:
- Salix Decarbonisation Loan — interest-free up to £600k per project
- PSDS Phase 4 capital grant — 100% grant for bundled bids
- FE Capital Transformation Fund — embedded sustainability in major refurb
- MCA decarbonisation grants — devolved regional funding
Estimated economics
For a 1200 kW programme at Belfast Met, modelled economics assuming standard portfolio-scale unit cost (£800/kW installed at this scale):
- Capital cost: approximately £960,000
- Annual generation: approximately 1,479,360 kWh
- Annual energy savings: approximately £281,818 (at typical FE blended tariff)
- Salix-funded payback: approximately 3.4 years
- 25-year nominal benefit: approximately £6,085,450
These are scoping figures — a precise feasibility report requires 12 months of Belfast Met's half-hourly meter data. See our interactive payback calculator to adjust the assumptions for your specific scenario.