LGT successfully secures funding for solar energy panels
New solar panel funding awarded to LGT saving money and supporting investment into frontline care
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero have announced a package of £100 million from Great British Energy for the NHS to install solar power and battery storage solutions to help drive down energy bills, offering better value for the taxpayer.
In an extremely competitive round of bids we’re really pleased to say that LGTs was successful and we have been awarded a total of £2,700,000 to install solar panels as part of this groundbreaking new funding. These will be at both University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich.
Investing in renewable energy generation will deliver reductions in energy costs that can be redirected into front line care. These new solar panel installation projects are expected to deliver savings of around £8.6 million a year, and up to £260 million over the panel’s lifetime across the NHS.
Ben Maguire, Associate Director of Finance for Strategy and Commercial at LGT, said: “A huge thank you to everyone involved in putting our bids together to secure LGT this funding. It’s a fantastic addition to the sustainability and savings programmes that so many colleagues are working on across our Trust. Reducing our energy costs and being more environmentally friendly go hand-in-hand both here, and across the wider NHS, and this is a big step in the right direction, demonstrating our commitment to deliver on our Green Plan ambitions. We’ll share more information soon on when work is starting to install the panels and the savings we’ll be generating as this very exciting project gets underway.”
Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS England, Chris Gormley said: “Thanks to the dedication of teams nationwide, the NHS has already implemented hundreds of projects that enhance energy efficiency and drive significant cost savings. This groundbreaking new investment, across 78 NHS Trusts on around 200 sites, will expand solar power generation within the NHS by over 300%, slashing energy costs by hundreds of millions of pounds. These vital savings can be reinvested directly into frontline care, ensuring the NHS continues to deliver for our patients and communities.”
Some additional Q&A information:
Where is the money coming from? The dedicated investment package of £100m for expanding NHS solar capacity is equally funded from DHSC and DESNZ 25/26 capital budgets.
Will this impact NHS frontline services or patient care budgets? No. Investing in renewable energy generation for the NHS will deliver reductions in energy costs that can be redirected into front line care.
How were hospitals selected? NHS England invited trusts to submit expressions of interest for funding solar PV projects deliverable within the 2025/26 financial year. The prioritisation process ensured funding was allocated to projects with high delivery confidence, economic and environmental impact.
Will installation work disrupt hospital services or patient care? All projects will be planned to avoid disruption to patients, staff and services.
Will solar power be used for critical hospital systems such as ventilators and life-support machines? The use of solar energy will increase overall energy resilience for all services – adding a reliable onsite source which can be combined with grid supply and emergency generators, ensuring uninterrupted power for all systems.
Will this improve hospital energy resilience? Yes, on-site energy generation can help protect NHS organisations from rising costs.
Why are you prioritising this when the NHS needs money for patient care? Investing in renewable energy generation for the NHS will deliver reductions in energy costs that can be redirected into frontline care.
Find out more about the sustainability work happening across LGT - along with the wider ambitions for the NHS - at: https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/energysustainability.