Great British Energy is moving forward with its first major project which will see hundreds of schools and hospitals benefiting.
Through a £200 million investment package, new rooftop solar power and renewable schemes will help bring down energy bills and ramp up the UK’s drive to cleaner power. In England, £80 million in funding will support 200 schools, with a further £100 million for almost 20o NHS sites – covering a third of all NHS trusts.
Great British Energy anticipates that millions could be invested back into frontline services through this, with lifetime savings for schools and up to £400 million for the NHS over around 30 years. Anticipated savings include £25,000 per year for a typical school, while an average NHS site could benefit from up to £45,000 a year on their annual energy bill should they have solar panels with complementary technologies installed like batteries.
There is a further £9.3 million to power schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as £12 million to help local authorities and community energy groups build local clean energy projects. This includes community-led onshore wind, solar on rooftops and hydropower in rivers.
The specific breakdown of the latter includes £5 million in grant funding for community energy groups, supporting them in developing projects that could see communities developing their own clean power, as well as £6.8 million for the existing Local Net Zero Hubs spread across England. These hubs offer a free to use service for local authorities, helping them access expertise and resource to develop clean energy projects fast.
