Humberside hospitals have been awarded £8.5m cash to carry out major solar power projects that will make significant energy cost savings.
Great British Energy is the Government’s newly created public-owned renewable energy investment company. It has announced its first project, to put rooftop solar panels on 200 schools and 200 hospitals.
Part of the Great British Energy Local Power Plan involves £100m for solar projects on NHS sites. Almost 10 per cent of this is devoted to hospitals in Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Hull.
£6.1m has been allocated to Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH). This will focus on Hull Royal Infirmary and solar ports in car parks, with £7.3-9.5m estimated life savings.
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG) will get £2.4m, split between Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby, and Scunthorpe General Hospital. It is estimated the projects supported by this cash will result in £3.6-£4.7m estimated life savings.
The two trusts are now part of the NHS Humber Health Partnership. Its deputy director for capital development, Alex Best, said: “This is fantastic news for NHS Humber Health Partnership, that will allow us to invest in improving our solar energy generation across three of our five main sites.
“The largest award we have received is for Hull Royal, where we have just over £6m to install a mixture of car solar ports and roof mounted solar panels. The main focus of this scheme will be to install the solar ports in the Argyle Street car park, which will also allow us to carry out some much needed improvements to the car park itself.”
More solar panels will also be installed in smaller car parks across the site. A NHS Humber Health Partnership spokesperson has confirmed no parking spaces will be lost. Mr Best added: “We will be putting panels on roofs wherever possible – starting with the Women’s and Children’s building.
“Together, these panels will generate estimated savings of more than £635,000 a year.” HUTH’s estate has already seen the significant energy saving benefits of having its own renewable power. 11,000 solar panels installed in a field by Castle Hill Hospital are estimated to have saved £150,000 a month in costs last summer.
By: Ivan Morris Poxton, LDRS
