The NHS is one of the largest commercial organisations in the country spending around £30 billion a year on an estimated 80,000 suppliers.
Out of this, the NHS spends approximately £600 to £700 million on gas and electricity suppliers using up around 11.3 billion kWh.
And with increasingly unstable energy markets in the world, energy inflation is only going to go one way.
The good news is that the NHS England plans to become the first net zero health service in the world by 2045 alongside NHS Scotland. NHS Wales has committed to a 34% reduction by 2030 and NHS Northern Ireland has committed to the overall public sector’s 2050 net zero target.
A solar carport turns a carpark from largely dead space into an electricity-generating powerhouse connected to the national grid, decarbonising your operations and saving money on energy bills.
In 2022, the French government mandated that any business or public sector with over 80 carpark spaces must cover them in solar carports.
By following in France’s footsteps and becoming their own energy suppliers, healthcare estates in the UK could cut their energy bills by millions of pounds every year and save tonnes of carbon.
The beauty of solar carports is that unlike solar roof panels they aren’t limited by roof design or orientation and therefore the potential space is often many times larger than any roof space.
Solspan’s research shows the overall healthcare sector could potentially save £5.6 million and nearly 24,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.
These savings could then be reinvested into services and equipment while any surplus energy is sold to the national grid, helping to make healthcare settings self-sufficient and able to budget better.
More and more healthcare settings are turning to electric vehicles (EV) either in their supply chains or in their own fleets to meet their net zero targets.
At the same time, EVs are becoming more and more popular amongst the public which why it is essential the UK has the infrastructure to support them.
Solar carports provide extensive EV charging opportunities which can even bring extra revenue to spend on patient care and services.
Alternatively, healthcare settings can offer EV charging as a benefit for staff, helping to attract highly skilled and sought after employees.
In fact, Solspan’s research has estimated nearly half a million cars every year could be charged if healthcare estates install solar carports on their carparks.
Our solar carports also have options for battery storage to store excess solar energy generated during peak sunlight hours, so that you always have energy available during peak demand periods or power outages.
It’s also bearing in mind that installing solar carports brings other value that is more difficult to measure such as nudging patients, staff, stakeholders and any competitors to think about unlocking efficiencies at home or at work.
Solspan has helped many different types of public sectors to achieve their sustainability targets and enjoy significant financial benefits.
We provide our customers with a turnkey solution, meaning we walk you through and manage every aspect of the installation from design to final commissioning including any legal obligations.
All solar powered carport designs can be single or double-sided depending on your requirements. Solar carport design options include a choice of roof types, lighting and EV charging infrastructure.
We offer two ranges, depending on the scale of your project. The first is large commercial solar turnkey carports from 20 to 100 carpark spaces made from recycled steel. The second is smaller scale solar carports made from aluminium for as little as two carpark spaces.
You can use our calculator to discover your potential savings and contact us for a personalised consultation.
Our analysis offers customised recommendations by considering regional sunlight hours; get in touch and find out how much you can save.