How Healthcare Sites Can Increase Energy Resilience

Did you know that the NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user with an estimated annual energy bill of £1.4 billion?

Shockingly, the bill has more than doubled since 2019 with a large percentage being spent on heating.

This not only reveals how reliant we are on fossil fuels but also our vulnerability to energy market volatility.

It also highlights the need to build resilience to future price hikes and counter unexpected events like power outages which could impact 13,500 buildings run by the NHS.

Generators move to sustainable options

It’s a legal requirement for NHS healthcare facilities to have generators as a backup if energy sources fail, so that patient care can be continued uninterrupted and valuable data isn’t lost or corrupted.

In the past, generators at hospitals were reliant on diesel, but increasingly, hospitals are moving to more sustainable fuels like hydrogen or hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) or batteries packed with solar and wind power.

Since 2024, NHS Grampian has been using waste oil and fats for back-up generators at its Foresterhill Health Campus in Aberdeen instead of diesel, helping to increase its resilience as well as reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent.

Where power is generated from solar carports and panels, it is combined with the grid supply and existing emergency generators to ensure uninterrupted power to all critical systems. 

Hospitals powered by solar energy

The NHS has pledged to remove all oil-led primary heating systems by 2028 and replace them with renewable energy and sustainable fuel systems.

Early in 2025, Great British Energy (GBE) invested £100 million into solar projects including solar carports across 78 Trusts to make them more energy resilient.

And in October 2025 GBE announced another 70 further NHS sites are being added including large acute teaching hospitals, community hospitals and mental health and learning disability facilities.

The move aims to save £8.6 million a year in energy bills which is expected to add up to a huge £260 million saving over their lifetime.

These solar projects are expected to generate around 50-65 GWh a year, equivalent to providing energy to 20,000 homes, paying back investment over seven to ten years.

First solar powered hospital

The initiative follows the success of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust whose Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, East Yorkshire became the first hospital in the UK run solely from renewable energy in 2022.

The hospital is run on solar energy during the summer months from its 11,000 panel solar farm, saving an incredible £230,000 a month on energy bills.

The panels generate more than 4.2 million kilowatt hours every 12 months which is the equivalent of powering 1,400 households a year.

GBE awarded the Trust a grant of £6 million during the hospital’s initiative to provide additional panels which is hoped to save nearly £10 million in energy bills over its lifetime.

Solar carports

Healthcare sites and hospitals have large car parks which are ideal to cover with solar carports which is why the Government is gathering evidence to consider a mandate for solar canopies on new and existing car parks.

Solar carports not only potentially generate enough energy for the hospital, slash bills and carbon emissions but also provide shelter from the weather to patients, staff and visitors.

In addition, carports can be installed with battery storage systems to provide a reliable, fast-switching power source during any disruptions to the grid.

EV Charging

Solar carports provide the perfect opportunity for EV charging for staff, patients and visitors.

The hospital or healthcare facility can offer the service to staff as a benefit while providing renewable energy to visitors and patients with electric vehicles.

EV charging also gives hospitals a great opportunity to make extra revenue at a time when budgets are continuously squeezed.

Try our Solar Savings Calculator

Our Solar Savings Calculator uses the number of car park spaces you have to give you an instant return on investment (ROI).

The figure includes cost and carbon savings and potential EV vehicle capacity.

Our experts will help you find the best location for solar carports and are happy to talk you through the process of installation from start to finish.