NHS sites in Cambridgeshire to receive more than £1.2million in government funding for solar panels
NHS sites across Cambridgeshire are to receive more than £1.2 million in government funding for solar panels to cut their energy costs.
Three NHS trusts in Cambridgeshire stand to benefit from more money for their local healthcare services, as Great British Energy’s solar rollout continues to cut energy bills for hospitals.
The trusts – Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust - have each received six-figure sums from Great British Energy to install rooftop solar panels at their sites as part of an expanded scheme for around 260 NHS sites – from large acute teaching hospitals to mental health facilities.
The funding for each trust is as follows:
• Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – £681,000
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust – £240,000
• Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust – £330,000
The government scheme covers more than a third of NHS trusts in England, helping them to power health services with clean, homegrown energy, while giving them the potential to sell leftover energy back to the grid.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “NHS services 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 around £1.34 billion, that has almost doubled since 2019.
“Thanks to this partnership between the NHS and Great British Energy, millions could now be invested back into frontline services - as the rollout continues on a scheme that is estimated to see total lifetime energy bill savings for the NHS of up to £325 million - with the average NHS site estimated to save around £35k a year in energy bills.”
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. This is our clean energy superpower mission in action, protecting our public services with lower bills and energy security.”
Great British Energy’s CEO, Dan McGrail said: “Our ongoing solar rollout delivers tangible benefits to the people that need it most in our hospitals and schools. Our continuing work is ensuring money is being put back into frontline care and education, providing cheap, clean and secure power.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “There is not just a moral case for this investment, but a pragmatic one too. 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.”
Earlier this month, the government confirmed total funding for the solar scheme had increased to up to £255 million, allowing Great British Energy to support around 260 NHS sites, around 250 schools, and around 15 military sites.