Great British Energy will invest in rooftop solar for around 200 schools and 200 hospital sites as part of the first investment package from the state-owned renewables company.
The GBP 200 million ($258 million) commitment includes around GBP 80 million for solar on school roofs in England, alongside GBP 100 million to install solar on NHS roofs. The first panels are set to be installed by the end of summer 2025, in time for the next academic year.
Only 20% of schools and less than 10% of hospitals in England have rooftop solar, according to the UK government. It claims the investment will result in GBP 400 million in lifetime savings for schools and the NHS over a period of around 30 years.
The investment in schools will be targeted at areas of deprivation in England, according to the government. Clusters of schools in deprived areas in the north of England and the West Midlands will be selected, and the appointed contractors are expected to work with local further education colleges to promote careers in renewables. Activities might include work placements, skills training and workshops.
For the NHS, the largest public sector energy user in the United Kingdom, expanded solar provision is expected to reduce bills, which the government claims can be redirected to frontline services. The NHS has an annual energy bill of GBP 1.4 billion according to the UK government, more than double what it paid in 2019.
Further spending from the GBP 200 million package includes GBP 9.3 million for community energy funding in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The cash is expected to support renewable energy schemes on public sector buildings or new community or local renewables schemes.
Local governments in England will benefit from a GBP 6.6 million investment in “local net zero hubs”. These are free-to-use services for local governments to access expertise and resources to support clean energy projects.
Great British Energy will also launch a community fund to distribute GBP 5 million in grant funding to community energy groups.
In a statement, Solar Energy UK chief executive Chris Hewett described the new project as a “very wise piece of public investment.”
“Every penny put into solar photovoltaics and energy storage for public buildings means more cash for the services we all depend on – and help teach the next generation the value of renewable energy.”
A key pillar of the UK government’s energy policy at the last general election, Great British Energy was incorporated in 2024. The company is backed by GBP 8.3 billion of state cash over the course of the current UK parliament, which will run until the next general election – no later than August 2029.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.