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The £200 million scheme, announced by the publicly owned clean energy company today (21 March), is aimed at increasing local power sources and cutting energy bills.
In England, £180 million funding will support about 200 schools and nearly 200 NHS sites – a third of NHS trusts – to install rooftop solar panels that could power classrooms and operations, with the potential to sell ‘leftover’ electricity back to the grid. The first panels are expected to be installed by the end of this summer.
“Schools and hospitals have been hit with rocketing energy bills in recent years, costing taxpayers millions of pounds and eating into school budgets. This has been driven by the UK’s dependency on global fossil fuel markets,” the announcement said.
The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user, with an estimated annual energy bill of £1.4 billion, which has more than doubled since 2019. The average NHS site could save up to £45,000 per year by using solar panels and complementary technologies such as batteries, the announcement said, while a typical school could save up to £25,000.
About 20% of schools and under 10% of hospitals already have solar panels installed. The new panels could be installed on roofs or in car parks.
Local authorities and community energy groups will also receive nearly £12 million to build clean energy projects, including ‘community-led’ onshore wind, rooftop solar and river hydropower. These could generate profits that could then be reinvested into community projects.
A further £9.3 million will power schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including community energy projects and rooftop solar for public buildings.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “Right now, money that should be spent on your children’s education or your family’s healthcare is instead being wasted on sky high energy bills. Great British Energy’s first major project will be to help our vital public institutions save hundreds of millions on bills to reinvest on the frontline. Great British Energy will provide power for pupils and patients.”
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