Hospital gets £1.6m to install solar panels on roof

A Surrey hospital is to install thousands of solar panels on its roof to reduce its carbon footprint after winning government funding.

East Surrey Hospital said it would put 2,827 solar panels on the Redhill site, aiming to have the installation "fully operational" by the spring.

The project comes after Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, won £1.6m in funding from Great British Energy - the publicly owned company set up by the government.

A spokesperson for the trust said: "Installation plans for 2,827 new rooftop panels are already well under way. The goal is to have the solar panels fully operational by spring 2026."

East Surrey Hospital's bid was one of 300 bids for funding to install solar panels, it added.

The funding for the project comes from Great British Energy's Local Power Plan, which aims to back small and medium-sized renewable energy projects across the UK.

About £100m was given to about 200 NHS sites as part of the funding push, a spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said. Further funding has also been provided for similar projects in schools.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "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.

"Great British Energy will provide power for pupils and patients."

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