Great British Energy has revealed details of its first major project – the installation of rooftop solar panels on 200 schools and 200 hospitals.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero-owned company said the first panels in the £180m project would be installed by the end of summer, reducing the cost of energy bills. Schools and hospitals will also be able to sell surplus power back into the grid.
GB Energy said the project could result in millions of pounds being redirected towards frontline services, targeting deprived areas, with lifetime savings for schools and the NHS of up to £400m over 30 years.
It said that currently only around one-in-five schools and fewer than one-in-10 hospitals have solar panels installed. However, GB Energy said that trailblazer projects – such as one at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – showed the huge potential for savings.
The trust has installed a £1.1m solar canopy over the car park at its Wharfedale Hospital site that is projected to reduce carbon emissions by 43.7 tonnes a year and save an annual £75,000. Solar panels typically last for around 25-30 years.
GB Energy said estimates suggested that a typical school could save up to £25,000 a year if they had solar panels with complementary technologies installed such as batteries. The potential average annual saving for NHS sites was given as £45,000.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said money that could be spent on healthcare or education was currently “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,” he said. “Parents at the school gate and patients in hospitals will experience the difference Great British Energy can make. This is our clean energy superpower mission in action, with lower bills and energy security for our country.”
GB Energy chair Juergen Maier said the project would be a testbed for future work as the company looks to invest £8.3bn in clean energy over the course of the current parliament.
“By partnering with the public sector as we scale up the company, this will help us make an immediate impact as we work to roll out clean, homegrown energy projects, crowd in investment and create job opportunities across the country,” he said. “We will work closely with communities to learn from the scheme so we can scale up energy projects across the country.”
GB Energy said that in addition to the funding for schools and hospitals, local authorities and community energy groups would also be supported by nearly £12m to help build local clean energy projects that would drive growth.
It said schemes ranging from community-led onshore wind to rooftop solar and river-driven hydropower had the potential to generate profits that could be reinvested into community projects or reduce bills.