Summer school visits a success at the solar farm!
- Jake B
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
This June, Ferry Farm Community Solar expanded its ‘Net Zero Schools’ program, welcoming 150 students from four local schools to learn about solar energy first-hand.

The program, delivered in partnership with Earth Energy Education, combines in-school workshops with a visit to Ferry Farm Community Solar Farm just outside of Sesley, West Sussex.
Before setting foot on the farm, students from Medmerry Primary, Selsey Primary, Sidlesham Primary and The Academy Selsey took part in hands-on workshops at school building circuits and exploring how the sun's energy can be converted into electricity. To keep the learning going, each school also received a “Solar Farm in a Box”, a fantastic kit packed with solar-powered circuits, wildflower seeds, activity guides and more, giving students the tools to continue exploring renewable energy in the classroom.
A few weeks later, across two sunny days five groups of primary and secondary school students visited the solar farm on the edge of Selsey to see solar power in action. Guided by Harry Barlow and Charlie Forrester, the site’s Asset Manager from Communities for Renewables, the children followed the journey of electricity step by step: from the sun’s rays to the site’s 19,000 solar panels, through the inverters and transformers, down into the substation and finally out through the grid all the way into their homes.

The community-owned array generates over 5 million kWh of renewable electricity each year. so along the way, the students got stuck into some big ideas - power, current, voltage - and asked some brilliant questions. They talked about fossil fuels and discovered why solar power is not just clever science, but a clean, green way to help the planet. Harry Barlow explained:
“It was a great pleasure to welcome local schools to Ferry Farm this month. As well as learning about renewable energy and biodiversity, it's important that young people see working examples of solutions to the environmental issues that will impact their generation. It's also fantastic these children have had the opportunity to follow the energy journey and ponder what goes on behind the power sockets in their home - an important and influential exercise that too few of the public are positioned to undertake.”
But the day wasn’t just about energy. Armed with ‘I-Spy’ wildlife guides, the students explored the solar farm’s biodiversity, spotting a wide range of insects, plants and even skylarks and green woodpeckers thriving on the site. The children discovered that the land beneath and around the panels supports a thriving ecosystem. Each visit ended with a lively bug-hunting session, where students used bug nets and microscope pots to collect and study insects. There was a lot of enthusiasm as they proudly named their finds and a surprising lack of squeamishness about the prospect of getting up close and personal with real, living, insects!

As the students walked back to their buses at the end of each visit, there was a buzz of excitement and chatter about what they’d seen. It is massively important for children to have the opportunity to learn outside of a classroom environment.
Not many communities can say they have their own solar farm... but Selsey and Sidlesham does. Ferry Farm Community Solar is dedicated to helping schools on their journey to net-zero by providing both funding and educational opportunities.
If your school is based in Selsey or Sidlesham or if you have pupils who live in those communities, we’d love to support you. Find out more about our funding opportunities here: https://www.ferryfarmsolar.co.uk/fundingforschools

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