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North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is set to receive national funding as part of a major public sector decarbonisation programme announced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero last week.
The trust has been awarded £39,000 to install new solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at its resilience training centre at Vancouver House in Washington. The installation is scheduled for completion by 31 March 2026.
Once operational, the solar PV system is expected to generate up to 45,000kWh of clean energy each year and cut carbon emissions by around nine tonnes annually. The project will also help reduce running costs at the site, supporting NEAS’s wider sustainability ambitions across its estate.
The funding forms part of a £74m national investment aimed at reducing energy use and carbon emissions across public sector buildings, including hospitals, military bases and prisons.
At a national level, the programme includes:
- £65.4m through the NHS Decarbonisation Fund
- £8.6m for solar power and battery storage
- £44.8m for LED lighting upgrades
- £12m for building management systems
- A further £4.6m for clean heat and other energy-efficiency measures
“Securing this funding is a really important step in reducing our carbon footprint and making our estate more energy efficient. Solar PV is already making a big difference at many of our sites, and this installation will help us continue to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency across NEAS.”
Martin Gibson, Environmental Sustainability and Facilities Manager, NEAS.
The Washington project builds on existing work across the trust’s estate. NEAS currently has solar PV installed at 28 sites, with two further installations due to be completed by the end of the current financial year.
Collectively, the trust’s solar systems save around £50,000 in electricity costs each year and have generated approximately 3.5 million kWh of energy to date.
Looking ahead, NEAS plans to deliver solar projects at a further six sites by 2035, reinforcing its long-term commitment to sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of ambulance operations.
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