New solar panel funding awarded to Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
24 March 2025
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is set to benefit from groundbreaking new solar panel funding.
Last week the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced a package of £100 million from Great British Energy for the NHS to install solar power and battery storage solutions to help drive down energy bills, offering better value for the taxpayer.
As part of this funding SPFT has been awarded £326,769 to install solar panels at the Hellingly Centre in East Sussex and £210,000 at Hove Polyclinic Outpatients Department.
Investing in renewable energy generation will deliver reductions in energy costs that can be redirected into front line care. These new solar panel installation projects are expected to deliver savings of around £8.6 million a year, and up to £260 million over the panel’s lifetime across the NHS.
Usman Niazi, Chief Finance Officer at SPFT, said: "We really welcome this news. Reducing energy costs will help further reduce our CO2 emissions and also generate additional savings which will support us in our efforts to move towards financial sustainability and thus helping service users and the communities we serve."
Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS England, Chris Gormley said: "Thanks to the dedication of teams nationwide, the NHS has already implemented hundreds of projects that enhance energy efficiency and drive significant cost savings. This groundbreaking new investment, across 78 NHS Trusts on around 200 sites, will expand solar power generation within the NHS by over 300%, slashing energy costs by hundreds of millions of pounds. These vital savings can be reinvested directly into frontline care, ensuring the NHS continues to deliver for our patients and communities.’
The investment will be the first for Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan which aims to deliver up to 8GW of clean energy projects across the UK. The package includes £100 million for hospitals to install solar power and battery storage solutions to help organisations drive down their energy bills, offering better value for the taxpayer.
Background information
£100 million will be awarded to 132 projects across 78 NHS Trusts covering around 200 sites in England, delivering: expected annual savings of around £8.6 million in additional to current savings from solar power in the NHS and a 300% increase in NHS solar generation