13/07/2026
The NHS is making the most of this sizzling summer with new solar panels.~
Over recent weeks a series of photovoltaic arrays have been completed on top of hospitals and units run by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust in Coalville and Leicester. They are already generating electricity and reducing the trust’s carbon footprint.
At Coalville Community Hospital, 213 panels have been installed due to a ÂŁ262,150 investment. This should generate 127,295 kWh per year, enough to boil a kettle 1.27 million times.
At the Evington Centre, on the Leicester General Hospital site, another 213 panels have been installed thanks to a ÂŁ291,545 investment, generating 105,122 kWh per year. This will be added to by 50,428 kWh from 98 panels at neighbouring Gwendolen House, which cost ÂŁ196,350.
At the Herschel Prins mental health unit on the Glenfield Hospital site ÂŁ157,186 has been spent on 167 panels, generating 94,015 kWh per year.
Paul Sheldon, LPT’s director with responsibility for sustainability, said: “This latest wave of solar projects has come on stream just in time for what is proving to be a sunshine-filled summer.
“However, we expect these panels to generate carbon-free electricity, at no additional cost, throughout the year.
“They are an important part of our ambition to make the NHS carbon neutral by 2040.”
All the work has been funded Great British Energy, and has been carried out by contractor Tilbury Douglas.
Chris Gormley, chief sustainability officer for NHS England, said: “Thanks to this expanded funding through the Great British Energy collaboration, NHS solar generation is set to triple, driving significant cost savings and improving patient care.
“This investment will help more trusts slash their energy bills and reinvest those savings directly into frontline care – continuing to support our patients and communities while driving further progress towards a lower carbon, more sustainable health system.”
