Communities across the country will benefit from more money for healthcare services, as Great British Energy’s solar rollout continues to cut energy bills for hospitals. Over summer, rooftop solar panels have been installed at the first five NHS sites to receive funding through these projects.
Great British Energy has been set up as a publicly-owned energy company to help deliver the government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. Across England, around £100 million was announced earlier this year to support nearly 200 NHS sites, covering a third of Trusts, alongside an additional £80 million for schools. Once all the projects are completed, the projected savings for the NHS amount to £8.6 million every year.
Hospitals have been hit with rocketing energy bills in recent years, costing taxpayers millions of pounds, and eating into healthcare budgets. This has been driven by the UK’s dependency on global fossil fuel markets over which government has no control. The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user, with an estimated annual energy bill of £1.4 billion – that’s more than doubled since 2019.
Currently, only around 10% of hospitals have installed solar panels, although estimates suggest that on average, NHS sites could save up to £45,000 a year. As well as the cost saving, they will benefit from clean, homegrown energy with the potential for any leftover energy to be sold back to the grid.
Chris Gormley, Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS England, says: “Thanks to this new funding, we are set to expand solar generation by more than 300% across the NHS – slashing millions of pounds from energy bills, which can then be redirected into patient care.”
Benefiting so far
The first five NHS sites to be fitted with solar panels under this scheme are:
• Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trusts – Hinckley and Bosworth Hospital Wards
• North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust – Hartlepool South Ambulance Station
• Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust – The Hollies
• South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust – Winchester & Eastleigh Resource Centre
• East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust – Ipswich Ambulance Hub.
Jonathan Guppy, Head of Sustainability at the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust says: “This is a hugely important milestone for the Trust as we take tangible steps to cut our energy costs and carbon footprint and release more money to spend directly on patient care. The installation at Winchester & Eastleigh is already making a real difference and is just the beginning of a wider programme of work that will deliver long-term environmental and financial benefits across our estate.”
