- Category
- General FE college
- Location
- Solihull, West Midlands
- DNO
- NGED (formerly WPD)
- Est. PV capacity
- 900 kW
About Solihull College & University Centre
Mid-size West Midlands FE college with strong industry partnerships across the West Midlands automotive cluster (JLR, BMW Mini, Aston Martin). Solar PV identified as priority intervention in 2025 Climate Action Plan.
The estate at Solihull College
Solihull main campus + Stratford-upon-Avon campus + Woodlands campus. Combined building footprint ~12,000 sqm. Mixed-age estate from 1970s teaching blocks to 2015 STEM Centre new build.
From a solar PV perspective this delivers 900 kW - 1.1 MW across the multi-campus portfolio. With 320 kW of daytime baseload typical, self-consumption stays around 66% — strong for the sector. The DNO for Solihull College is NGED (formerly WPD).
Curriculum integration
T-Level Construction, Engineering, Digital, Building Services Engineering, HE-in-FE Foundation Degrees in Engineering and Construction. Skills England-aligned green skills throughput.
Funding stack for Solihull College
Salix Decarbonisation Loan + WMCA Building Energy Transformation Programme + PSDS Phase 4 bundled with heat pump on STEM Centre. Estimated portfolio capex £870k-£1.1m.
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 450550 kW programme at Solihull College, modelled economics assuming standard portfolio-scale unit cost (£800/kW installed at this scale):
- Capital cost: approximately £360,440,000
- Annual generation: approximately 601,033,700 kWh
- Annual energy savings: approximately £115,518,677 (at typical FE blended tariff)
- Salix-funded payback: approximately 3.1 years
- 25-year nominal benefit: approximately £2,527,526,925
These are scoping figures — a precise feasibility report requires 12 months of Solihull College's half-hourly meter data. See our interactive payback calculator to adjust the assumptions for your specific scenario.