Open-access content [Tanya Weaver](/authors/tanya-weaver) — Fri 21 Mar 2025
**Great British Energy has announced that schools and hospitals across the UK are to benefit from £180m of rooftop solar investment.**
The first project from [Great British Energy](https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/11/25/what-will-great-british-energy-actually-do), the UK government’s new state-owned energy company, will be £180m of investment to install rooftop solar panels on 200 schools and 200 hospitals in the UK.
This will help save hundreds of millions on energy bills, with savings reinvested back into schools and NHS sites, the government said in a statement.
“Right now, money that should be spent on your children’s education or your family’s healthcare is instead being wasted on sky-high energy bills,” said energy secretary Ed Miliband.
“Great British Energy’s first major project will be to help our vital public institutions save hundreds of millions on bills to reinvest on the frontline.”
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.
With rooftop solar, the government estimates that a typical school could save up to £25,000 per year, while the average NHS site could save up to £45,000 per year on their annual energy bills.
Currently only about 20% of schools and less than 10% of hospitals have solar panels installed.
However, those that do have been benefiting from energy savings, including Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which has 11,000 solar panels that led to £250,000 a month in savings last summer.
The government also hopes that the project will reduce the use of fossil fuels across public property and help achieve its long-term climate goals.
The project will kick off immediately, with the first panels expected to be in schools and hospitals by the end of summer 2025.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “For many years, schools have been keen to lead the way when it comes to sustainable and greener energy. Some have already installed solar panels, but most find it cost prohibitive. This announcement is therefore welcome and a step in the right direction."
Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Spiralling energy costs have landed NHS trusts with huge bills at a time when they can least afford it. The measures announced today are good for NHS trusts, good for the environment and good for taxpayers.”
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