Stretham Primary School has gone green thanks to the gift of a new solar panel system by farmers F C Palmer and Sons.

The system consists of 29 solar panels producing 8.3 kw of power and will earn the school around £1,000 a year in generation income and also cut its annual electricity bill by a similar amount.

The system will operate for 20 years and over that period will cut the school’s carbon emmissions by 86 tons. It was installed by Beechdale Energy who are based in Cambridge.

In the school’s reception a digital display will update and record the system’s performance in real time so pupils can monitor its performance daily.

During 2016 there will be opportunities for the children to visit the solar sites on F C Palmer & Sons’ farm, with a view to completing some renewable energy related science projects.

Andrew Robertson, headteacher, said: “This is an amazing and generous gift from F C Palmer and Sons. The children are very excited by the solar panels and we look forward to using them both as an educational tool and as a way to subsidise the school’s work.”