Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) will save money on its energy bills, thanks to new solar panels funded by Great British Energy.
In September, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced (opens in a new tab) 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.
CUH, which runs Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, has now been awarded £681k to install solar panels on rooftops across the estate, which will help to generate clean power and deliver reductions in energy costs.
The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user, with an estimated annual energy bill of around £1.3 billion, that has almost doubled since 2019.
Thanks to Great British Energy, the 34 trusts awarded funding today 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.
CUH energy and sustainability manager, Richard Hales, said:
The Trust is proud to have a comprehensive Green Plan and a commitment to cut CUH’s direct carbon emissions in half by 2032. We are extremely grateful for this grant of £681k, which will help us install additional roof-top solar panels across buildings on our estate.
Richard Hales