- Category
- General FE college
- Location
- Croydon, South London
- DNO
- NPg (Newcastle, Carlisle), UKPN (Lewisham, Southwark), ENW (Trafford), NGED (Kidderminster), SPM (West Lancashire)
- Est. PV capacity
- 850 kW
About Croydon College
Croydon College serves a high-deprivation South London catchment with substantial T-Level + apprenticeship throughput. GLA Mayor of London Net Zero by 2030 framework applies; Croydon Council climate strategy adds funding routes.
The estate at Croydon
Croydon Town Centre main campus + University Centre Croydon (HE-in-FE) + Construction Skills Centre at Coombe Lane. Combined ~9,800 sqm.
From a solar PV perspective this delivers 850 kW - 1.0 MW across the portfolio. With 240 kW of daytime baseload typical, self-consumption stays around 64% — strong for the sector. The DNO for Croydon is NPg (Newcastle, Carlisle), UKPN (Lewisham, Southwark), ENW (Trafford), NGED (Kidderminster), SPM (West Lancashire).
Curriculum integration
T-Level Construction, Engineering, Digital, Building Services. Strong widening-participation agenda; HE-in-FE pathway to University Centre Croydon.
Funding stack for Croydon
Salix Decarbonisation Loan + GLA decarbonisation pot + PSDS Phase 4 bundled with heat pump on Town Centre main building. Estimated portfolio capex £820k-£1.0m.
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 425500 kW programme at Croydon, modelled economics assuming standard portfolio-scale unit cost (£800/kW installed at this scale):
- Capital cost: approximately £340,400,000
- Annual generation: approximately 639,254,180 kWh
- Annual energy savings: approximately £120,691,189 (at typical FE blended tariff)
- Salix-funded payback: approximately 2.8 years
- 25-year nominal benefit: approximately £2,676,879,725
These are scoping figures — a precise feasibility report requires 12 months of Croydon's half-hourly meter data. See our interactive payback calculator to adjust the assumptions for your specific scenario.