- Category
- General FE / sixth form / group
- Location
- Wakefield, West Yorkshire
- DNO
- Northern Powergrid
- Est. PV capacity
- 1.2-1.5 MW
About Heart of Yorkshire Education Group (incorporating Wakefield College)
Heart of Yorkshire Education Group operates as a multi-campus group corporation across West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. West Yorkshire Combined Authority Climate Strategy provides additional funding routes.
The estate at Heart of Yorkshire
Wakefield College + Selby College + Pontefract Sixth Form + Castleford College. Multi-campus group corporation spanning West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire borders.
From a solar PV perspective this delivers 1.2-1.5 MW across the multi-campus portfolio. With 360 kW of daytime baseload typical, self-consumption stays around 67% — strong for the sector. The DNO for Heart of Yorkshire is Northern Powergrid.
Curriculum integration
T-Level Construction, Engineering, Digital, Health, Building Services. Significant 16-19 + adult + apprentice cohort mix.
Funding stack for Heart of Yorkshire
Single portfolio Salix Decarbonisation Loan across the group + WYCA decarbonisation pot + PSDS Phase 4 bundled bid across largest 2-3 campuses. Estimated portfolio capex £1.1m-£1.4m.
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
- AoC Climate Action Plan compliance pathway — board-approved Climate Action Plan compliance pathway
- ONS reclassification unlocked Salix and PSDS for Heart of Yorkshire Education Group (incorporating Wakefield College) — the November 2022 policy change that unlocked Salix + PSDS for FE
- Payback calculator — model the specific Heart of Yorkshire Education Group (incorporating Wakefield College) scenario
Estimated economics
For a 1350 kW programme at Heart of Yorkshire, modelled economics assuming standard portfolio-scale unit cost (£800/kW installed at this scale):
- Capital cost: approximately £1,080,000
- Annual generation: approximately 1,713,960 kWh
- Annual energy savings: approximately £332,336 (at typical FE blended tariff)
- Salix-funded payback: approximately 3.2 years
- 25-year nominal benefit: approximately £7,228,400
These are scoping figures — a precise feasibility report requires 12 months of Heart of Yorkshire's half-hourly meter data. See our interactive payback calculator to adjust the assumptions for your specific scenario.