Dozens of NHS trusts across England will receive funding to install new solar panels as part of the government’s expanded solar rollout, led by Great British Energy.
Thirty-four NHS trusts – including ten already in the programme – will benefit from the latest round of investment, with installations planned across around 70 additional sites. The initiative, jointly funded by Great British Energy and the government, now covers around 260 NHS locations, including hospitals and mental health facilities.
According to estimates, the scheme could save participating trusts up to £65 million in energy bills over the panels’ lifetime. Across the wider rollout, the NHS could see total savings of up to £325 million, with the average site saving around £35,000 per year.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “Great British Energy is helping your local hospital save money on its bills, to be reinvested into the frontline, from nurses to medical equipment.
“Across the country, solar panels are going up on rooftops or carpark canopies, to power operating theatres with clean, homegrown power.”
Dan McGrail, Chief Executive of Great British Energy, said: “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.
“Our ongoing solar rollout delivers tangible benefits to the people that need it most in our hospitals and schools.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting added: “Every pound the NHS spends on rising energy bills is money that can’t be spent on cutting waiting times. By modernising the NHS and cutting wasteful spending, including taking back control of our energy, we will get patients treated faster.”
Chris Gormley, Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS England, said the collaboration would see NHS solar generation triple, driving “significant cost savings and improving patient care”.
Several trusts welcomed the funding, describing it as a step towards sustainability. Michele Moran, Chief Executive of Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, said the project would “reduce our reliance on grid energy and lower our carbon footprint.”
Rachel Barlow, Chief Development Officer at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said the initiative would “save 39,000 kg of carbon annually”, while Sean Greene of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We’re investing in a healthier future for our community and money saved can be spent on patient care.”
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