‘Solar for Steve Shelter’ – Freelearners’ Clean Energy Project

The aim of the project, supported by this grant, was to set up a supply of solar power for two of the structures onsite: ‘Napoleon’ the hog-shaped cob pizza oven with an adjacent kitchen area and ‘Steve Shelter’, a study/club room built from pallets and other recycled wood.

The installation is now in place and working!

In addition to providing clean, environmentally friendly and sufficient power for the users of the site (local families, gardening/conservation groups, school groups, children being taught outside of mainstream education, and others), the project achieved its important educational aims: that the children who attended Peers’ Projects regularly learned about the science and engineering relevant to solar power, about storing electricity, about battery chemistry and about circuits. They learned to understand seasonal and weather-related variability in renewable energy production and how to moderate consumption accordingly.

Learnings from the project were also shared with the wider community…

 …through a project blog, which will continue to be updated with any new learnings;
 …through a workshop run for local children, in which they created a working physical model of the system
 …through colourful, funny and informative boards guiding visitors through different aspects of the installation in situ.

The initial workshop was held on the first May Bank Holiday Monday 2024, with children from local schools and those learning outside of mainstream education attending an all-day solar power workshop organised by Freelearners. Every single child got to solder a connection, guided and encouraged by an older and more experienced child.

With inclement weather and supply issues, and then the summer holiday break, work paused on the project, resuming again slowly in September 2024. Work continued crawling during the Autumn, and finally the system was ready to be switched on in November 2024 – just in time for a flood! Thankfully the project was planned with these issues in mind, and the installation passed the test with flying colours!

Whilst the floodwater subsided, Freelearners worked on the information boards which they had planned to put up around the site to tell the story of solar power and energy storage in an easy to understand, comic-book style. The information was carefully curated to appeal to both children and adults, and provide details of how the project was put together and the benefits of using solar to power the site.

The group decided to share their learning and experience through a blog on their website, which not only included details of the project’s successes, but also explains the trials, mishaps and challenges which were encountered along the way.

Once the site was accessible again, the final component was installed; 450 fairy lights to illuminate Napoleon the pizza oven and the kitchen area. With delays earlier in the project, mainly as a result of the weather, the event to celebrate completion of the project took place in December 2024, rather than July, as had been originally planned. However, filled with shortbread and gingerbread cooked in the solar-powered oven and smoothies created with the solar-powered blender, a hardy group of supporters braved the cold to celebrate all of the hard work which had taken place to complete the clean energy project.

On reflection, the Freelearners felt that despite some challenges along the way, the project had been a resounding success, with the sustainable, as well as the educational, aims of the project being met. As Outi Benson from the Freelearners explains:

Hogacre Common has a lasting asset that will in time enable the Outdoor Learning Area be used in many different ways by many different groups of people. We were all taught resilience and patience, as well as the science of solar power and how to make it work for us.

The children involved didn’t just learn solar power facts and vocabulary: they learned skills and confidence to use new tools, they learned about asking good questions about consumption and supply. They learned about struggling, failing and recovering with adults who were part of the same process, working with professionals on a demanding project. And while they may not be able to fit your shed with a solar panel right now, when they are a little older they will very likely have the confidence to take such a project on – or encourage others to do so.

Freelearners Community Interest Company was founded by four parents devoted to providing services for Oxfordshire children who learn outside of mainstream education and through it’s Peers’ Projects aims to provide learners with the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills over a period of time, with the support of mentors and the camaraderie of their peers.