The Department of Education, working in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, secured funding from Ireland’s Climate Action Fund for a groundbreaking new sustainability initiative.  It aimed to install solar photovoltaic panels on the rooves of primary schools nationwide to help reduce energy costs and support the decarbonisation of school buildings.  

As it began to plan the implementation of the scheme, the Department of Education realised that it would need an effective way to communicate and share information with over 4,000 schools.  In particular, the Climate Action Team needed a solution for sending out expression of interest surveys to headteachers, followed by electronic application forms.  The department had previously used geographic information system (GIS) solutions from Esri Ireland to solve other business problems, so the in-house GIS Development Team was tasked with helping the Climate Action Team to get the Schools Photovoltaic Programme up and running.  

A clear and simple process for headteachers
ArcGISThe Department of Education has welcomed the positive response that it has received to the Schools Photovoltaic Programme, and it attributes this success in part to the simplicity of the process.  Headteachers find it straightforward to use the ArcGIS Hub and can fill in forms and track the progress of their applications easily.  In the first phase of the rollout, over 1,000 of the target 1,600 schools signed up within just one week, and the department achieved more than a 90% response to the scheme.

Exceptional efficiency in programme administration 
Harnessing the capabilities of ArcGIS, the department’s GIS Development Team has created an exceptionally efficient process.  Every stage can be easily managed by programme administrators from within the ArcGIS Dashboard and, the availability of live data, on demand, removes the need for reporting.  O’Farrell says: “The entire Schools Photovoltaic Programme is being administered internally by a small team of staff.  Without our ArcGIS-based process, we would probably need a team of 15-20 people for a project of this size.”

Data captured for intelligent decision-making
Data captured by ArcGIS can be easily analysed through the ArcGIS Dashboard and used to inform subsequent programme phases.  For example, when schools in phase one report on their energy savings, the Department of Education could use this information to decide whether to vary the size of panels on schools in different locations to maximise energy generation in the future.  The department can also analyse average installation costs across the country and make sure capacity exists within the industry to meet the demands of each new programme phase. 

A proven approach for improving communications
Following the undoubted success of the ArcGIS-based process for the Schools Photovoltaic Programme, the GIS Development Team is now planning similar approaches for other programmes.  The Hub, in particular, is going to be used to improve future communications with schools on everything from classroom capacity to procurement processes.   “With the Schools Photovoltaic Programme, we have really demonstrated the effectiveness of GIS-led processes and created a blueprint for future initiatives,” concludes O’Farrell.