Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare, Hampshire’s newest NHS Trust and one of the largest mental health, community and learning disability Trusts in country, will receive just over £3million of dedicated, ring-fenced funding from the government to install solar power solutions across its sites.
Last week the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced a package of £100 million from Great British Energy for the NHS. The Trust will receive just over £3million of the funding, which will be used it to instal over 3000 solar power and battery solutions across its estates.
Andy Mosley, Director of Estates, Facilities and Capital Projects for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust says the funding will have a significant impact on the Trust's energy use. “We are really happy to be receiving this funding as investing in renewable energy solutions is a key part of the Trust’s Green Plan. We estimate that across our estate we will be able to install around 3600 solar panels which will generate over 1.7million KWh of electric energy annually - enough electricity to power over 600 homes for a year!”
Once installed the panels should save the Trust over £380,000 a year, money which can be invested back into font line care and services. With the Trust serving a population of around 2 million people, countless patients, families and communities will benefit from the savings.
Not only will the solar panels and batteries save taxpayer’s money by generating energy, but it will also reduce CO2 emissions annually by over 300 tonnes. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare operates in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as the New Forest and South Downs, meaning the funding and its benefits will help protect these incredible landscapes and wildlife for its local communities.
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 groundbreaking 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.”
Investing in renewable energy generation will deliver reductions in energy costs that can be redirected into front line care. These new solar panel installation projects are expected to deliver savings of around £8.6 million a year, and up to £260 million over the panel’s lifetime across the NHS.