Great British Energy's first project is a plan to put rooftop solar panels on 200 schools and 200 hospitals.

The£200m investment from the Government and Great British Energy is the first major project for Great British Energy and will give £80m in funding to support around 200 schools, alongside £100m for nearly 200 NHS sites, covering a third of NHS trusts, to install rooftop solar panels. The first panels are expected to be in schools and hospitals by the end of summer 2025.

The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user, with an estimated annual energy bill of £1.4bn, that has more than doubled since 2019. Currently only about 20 per cent of schools and under 10 per cent of hospitals have solar panels installed.

Great British Energy chair Juergen Maier said: “This is the first step in Great British Energy’s work with local communities to help them generate their own energy. 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.”

The support will target schools and hospitals with buildings that are able to accommodate solar panels in areas of England most in need. As part of this, the Government will select the schools which will be primarily clustered in areas of deprivation in the North East, West Midlands and North West, as well as at least ten schools in each region. Each cluster will include a further education college which will work with the contractors appointed to promote careers in renewables to support growth in the construction and renewables workforce. This could be through work placements, skills bootcamps and workshops.

Nigel Pocklington, chief executive, Good Energy said: “Having installed solar on schools and public sector buildings across the country we know firsthand the positive impact it can have on these organisations. Giving them energy independence, whilst helping them cut their costs and carbon, is vital for strained public services which are eager to take climate action. Showing school students the kinds of careers possible in the energy transition is invaluable.”

Alongside this, the NHS ran an expression of interest process to identify the selected hospital sites, with installations managed by the NHS.

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