£1.3m solar panel funding awarded to University Hospitals Dorset

University Hospitals Dorset has been awarded £1,368,761 to install more solar panels at both Poole Hospital and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBH). This will save £177,000 a year in energy costs and support investment into frontline care.

It is part of a wider £100m package from Great British Energy, announced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and supporting the NHS to install solar power and battery storage solutions to help drive down energy bills.

The grant will fund solar panels on multistorey car parks and will fully cover the cost of delivering these new panels. The solar panels are expected to generate 700,000kWh each year, reducing energy bills by £177,000 each year. The panels are guaranteed for 15 years, meaning UHD will save at least £2.5m in energy costs over the life of the project. The installation will take place this summer and will contribute around 200 tonnes of carbon savings each year.

UHD’s Sustainability and Carbon manager, Stuart Lane, said: “This is a real boost to our Green Plan and good for our finances too. We have also commissioned several other solar panel projects, and this funding will accelerate the pace at which we can meet the full potential of solar generated on our sites, meaning we are a step close to our net zero targets and redirecting energy costs to patient care.”

UHD is also taking a new approach to the decarbonisation of its estate with efficient new hospital buildings such as the new BEACH Building and a £2.1m LED lighting investment to bring older buildings up to modern standards.