City MP Stephen Morgan has welcomed a £1.1 million investment from Great British Energy to install new solar panels on the roof of Queen Alexandra Hospital.
The funding will not only help the Trust to deliver against its plans to be more sustainable by reducing emissions but will also deliver financial savings estimated to be around £215,000 a year.
Last month, Mr Morgan celebrated news that 39 schools and NHS sites across the South East are to receive funding from Great British Energy to fit solar panels, saving thousands of pounds on their energy bills.
Great British Energy, the country’s publicly-owned clean energy company, will produce a return on investment for the British people, and ensure British billpayers reap the benefits of clean, secure, home-grown energy.
Following the opening of its new Emergency Department in 2024, which has solar panels on the roof, this will be the second project on the QA site aimed at reducing energy costs and generating renewable energy.
These new solar panel installation projects are expected to deliver savings nationally of around £8.6 million a year, and up to £260 million over the panel’s lifetime across the NHS.
Work on the project has already begun and is due to be complete by Spring 2026.
Commenting, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“I’m delighted to see the Labour Government make this investment in Portsmouth to deliver renewable energy at our local hospital and help cut down energy bills.
“At the election, we promised to boost energy independence, and ensure Portsmouth taxpayers, billpayers and communities reap the benefits of clean, secure, home-grown energy.
“It’s great to see Portsmouth benefiting already from Great British Energy, and I look forward to seeing more investments made in the future to benefit our city and planet.”
Trevor Mose, Head of Sustainability and Energy at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said:
“I am delighted we have been able to secure this funding to take forward a long-held aspiration to generate renewable electricity on site and support the growing demands of our clinical services.
“The benefits of this award will go some way to helping our ongoing work to reduce our impact on the environment. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in supporting us with it so far.”
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.”
As a result of the Conservatives’ failure to secure Britain’s energy independence, schools and hospitals have been hit with sky-high energy bills due to the UK’s dependency on fossil fuel markets. The NHS’ annual energy bill has doubled to £1.4bn a year since 2019.
In addition to this new project, the Government has announced that £12m will be put aside for local authorities and community energy groups to build local clean energy projects – including onshore wind turbines, rooftop solar panels and hydropower.
