Shropshire hospital to have new solar panel system installed after £445,000 investment helping cut energy costs
New solar panels are set to be installed at a Shropshire hospital to slash energy bills and funnel savings directly into frontline care, after an investment of almost half a million pounds.
Great British Energy has awarded £445,000 for solar panels to be installed on a car park canopy at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford.
The 200kW solar system is scheduled for installation in the new year and is expected to save The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) around £35,000 annually in energy costs, while generating clean, renewable power.
The trust said the project will contribute to wider savings of an estimated £1 million a year in energy costs, which can be redirected into frontline care.
In September, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced up to £75 million of investment from Great British Energy and the Government to roll out solar panels across military sites, schools, and NHS trusts.
Inese Robotham, Assistant Chief Executive and chair of the SaTH's Climate Change Group, 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 largest single public sector energy user in the UK, with an estimated annual energy bill of around £1.34 billion - almost double the amount since 2019.
After receiving funding through Great British Energy’s solar programme, 34 hospital trusts 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.
