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South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) has become one of the first NHS sites in the country to benefit from new Great British Energy (GBE) solar panels, cutting its energy bills by more than £32,000 annually from the first of four planned installations.
Earlier this year, the trust secured over £1m of NHS funding to support solar projects across four locations on its estate. The investment forms part of a £100m national scheme for solar and battery installations, run in partnership by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), GBE and NHS England.
The first installation, completed at the Winchester and Eastleigh Resource Centre, features 609 panels and a 345kWh battery system. It is expected to generate savings of more than £842,000 over the 25-year performance guarantee of the system.
Jonathan Guppy, head of sustainability at SCAS, said the project marked a key step in the trust’s environmental strategy: “This is a hugely important milestone for the trust as we take tangible steps to cut our energy costs and carbon footprint, and release more money to spend directly on patient care. The installation at Winchester & Eastleigh is already making a real difference and is just the beginning of a wider programme of work that will deliver long-term environmental and financial benefits across our estate.”
Three further installations are due to be completed in the coming months. Alongside the growing use of electric vehicles in the SCAS fleet, the programme will play a central role in helping the trust reduce its environmental impact and progress towards net zero, while maintaining high-quality patient care.
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