New solar panels at PRH car park to save on energy bills
New solar panels are to be installed on a car park canopy at a Telford hospital, saving on energy bills and supporting investment into frontline care.
Great British Energy has awarded £445,000 for the solar panels on the car park canopy at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford.
Work is expected to start on the 200kw system in the new year and will save the Trust £35,000 a year in energy costs and generate clean power.
In September, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced up to £75 million of investment from Great British Energy and the government for multiple military sites, and more schools and NHS trusts, to roll out solar panels.
Inese Robotham, Assistant Chief Executive and Chair of the Trust’s Climate Change Group at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funding to install solar panels on a car park canopy at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
“This is further investment which aligns with our vision of sustainable health services and more modern facilities, creating a better environment for our patients and colleagues.
“It is a project that will reduce our carbon footprint further and contribute to savings of an estimated £1 million a year in energy costs, which can then be redirected into frontline care.”
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 Great British Energy, the 34 trusts awarded funding will see estimated combined lifetime energy bill savings of up to £65 million over the next 30 years, to be reinvested in frontline services.
In total, Great British Energy’s solar scheme is now worth up to £255 million, supporting around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites and around 15 military sites across the country.
