CHFT have been awarded a £1.1million grant by Great British Energy to install rooftop solar panels at CRH and HRI which will help to generate clean power and reduce our energy costs.

The funding is part of a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announcement of up to £75 million of investment from Great British Energy and the government for multiple military sites, and more schools and NHS trusts, to roll out solar panels.

Environment Manager, Grace Barrett, said: “It is fantastic that we have this grant to help us meet our ambitions which we set out in the CHFT Green Plan. This funding will help us reduce our environmental impact and save money on our energy bills. We are now working on a plan for how we get the solar panels installed."

The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user, with an estimated annual energy bill of around £1.3 billion, which has almost doubled since 2019.  

Earlier this month, the government confirmed total funding for the solar scheme had increased to up to £255 million, allowing Great British Energy to support around 260 NHS sites, around 250 schools, and around 15 military sites.  

As part of the expanded scheme, 34 NHS trusts will receive a share of up to £30 million. 

Our Green Plan can be found in our Policies and Documents Library and covers nine key areas of focus for us to prioritise over the next three years. The themes range from Workforce and Leadership, to Digital Transformation, Travel and Transport, and Medicines.

You can read more about the Government scheme here: NHS sites to cut bills with Great British Energy solar panels - GOV.UK