Great British Energy have announced their first project to install solar panels on nearly 400 schools and hospitals.
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The first major project for Great British Energy (GBE) has been announced as investments into sustainable energy for essential infrastructure
Great British Energy’s first major project has been announced, consisting of putting solar panels on 200 schools and 200 NHS sites, including hospitals.
The project is intended to cut the energy bills of those buildings.
Great British Energy is investing £200m into the project
The money saved from the energy bills will be reinvested into school and NHS services in order to tackle the growing backlog of required repairs.
The Great British Energy investment comes from both the company and the government, and the project is the first step for the company in helping the Plan for Change.
The company will engage with schools and the NHS, as well as devolved governments to get the solar panels installed, bring clean energy to these buildings, and drive their energy bills down.
£80m of the funding will go towards 200 English schools, while £100m will go towards the NHS sites, representing a third of NHS trusts. The solar panels will also bring a possibility to sell leftover energy back to the National Grid.
The first of the panels are expected to be installed by the end of summer 2025 in time for the next year.
Many schools and hospitals are in dire need
Energy bills for both schools and hospitals have been rising to unprecedented levels in the last few years, reducing budgets and operations; an issue that this project intends to tackle.
The NHS alone currently uses £1.4bn per year in energy, more than double the 2019 levels.
Energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said: “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.
“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.
“Parents at the school gate and patients in hospitals will experience the difference Great British Energy can make. This is our clean energy superpower mission in action, with lower bills and energy security for our country.”
Great British Energy chair, Juergen Maier, said: “This is the first step in Great British Energy’s work with local communities to help them generate their own energy.
“By partnering with the public sector as we scale up the company, this will help us make an immediate impact as we work to roll out clean, homegrown energy projects, crowd in investment and create job opportunities across the country.
“We will work closely with communities to learn from the scheme so we can scale up energy projects across the country.”
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