Princess Royal Hospital Solar Canopy to Save £70,000 a Year for Frontline NHS Care
A new solar car canopy at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford is expected to cut annual energy costs by £70,000, allowing savings to be redirected towards frontline NHS services.
The renewable energy project has been installed on the top deck of the hospital’s staff car park near the Women and Children’s Centre. Featuring 960 solar panels, the system was completed in just 12 weeks and now generates around 1MWh of clean electricity each day – enough to power an operating theatre or approximately 120 homes for a day.
Great British Energy awarded £982,000 to The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to support the project, which was delivered by renewable energy specialist ZLC Energy.
The solar canopy forms part of the Trust’s wider NHS sustainability strategy, designed to reduce carbon emissions, lower energy costs and support the transition towards net zero healthcare.
Matthew Neal, Group Chief Estates, Facilities and Capital Officer, described the project as a “significant milestone” in the organisation’s commitment to sustainability.
He said the investment would help reduce the Trust’s carbon footprint while creating a foundation for further sustainable energy projects across its hospital estate.
Cutting NHS energy costs
Further renewable energy investment is already underway at Princess Royal Hospital.
ZLC Energy has installed an additional 180 solar panels on the roof of the Women and Children’s Centre, with the system expected to generate further renewable electricity and deliver approximately £17,000 in annual energy savings.
The company is also working on another rooftop solar installation as the Trust continues to decarbonise its estate.
The investment comes as rising energy costs remain a significant challenge for the health service. The NHS is the UK’s largest public-sector energy user, with its estimated annual energy bill reaching around £1.3 billion – almost double its 2019 level.
Over the past year, the Great British Energy and NHS solar programme has supported more than 260 NHS sites across England in reducing electricity costs.
Projects such as the Princess Royal Hospital solar canopy demonstrate how renewable energy infrastructure can reduce NHS carbon emissions while generating financial savings that can be reinvested directly into patient care and frontline services.
