Newcastle Hospitals has received almost £700,000 to boost its efforts to tackle the climate emergency and create a greener NHS.
The funding, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, will support the installation of solar panels at the trust’s Freeman Hospital site.
Over 1000 solar panels will be installed across 2000m2 of roof space on three buildings, estimated to generate 384 MWh of electricity a year for the next 25 years. This is the equivalent to powering 130 UK homes each year.
The installation of panels is expected to save £100,000 a year and reduce carbon emissions by 80 tonnes a year, taking the trust one step closer to its ambitious net zero goal.
Welcome boost
James Dixon, associate director, sustainability, at Newcastle Hospitals, said:
“This government funding is a welcome boost to support the delivery of our climate emergency strategy action plan.
“It will further expand our generation of on-site clean energy, save money that can be reinvested into patient care, and take us a step closer to our net zero carbon goal.
“It has been a real team effort to submit this bid, so we’re delighted that we’ve secured funding to help us to continue to care for both people and planet.”
Re-investing in patient care
Chief sustainability officer at NHS England, Chris Gormley said:
“Thanks to the dedication of teams nationwide, the NHS has already implemented hundreds of projects that enhance energy efficiency and drive significant cost savings.
“This ground-breaking new investment, across 78 NHS trusts on around 200 sites, will expand solar power generation within the NHS by over 300%, slashing energy costs by hundreds of millions of pounds.
“These vital savings can be reinvested directly into frontline care, ensuring the NHS continues to deliver for our patients and communities.”
The investment is the first for Great British Energy’s local power plan which aims to deliver up to 8GW of clean energy projects across the UK.
The package includes £100 million for hospitals to install solar power and battery storage solutions to help organisations drive down their energy bills, offering better value for the taxpayer.
These new solar panel installations are expected to deliver savings of around £8.6 million a year, and up to £260 million over the panels’ lifetime across the NHS.
Further information
- *384MWh is equal to 384,000 kWh (as 1MWh = 1,000 kWh). The average UK household consumes roughly 2,900 kWh of electricity per year. 84,000 kWh / 2,900 kWh = 132 homes
