Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust Solar Farm
Spire Healthcare to develop solar PV across 38 UK sites. Image: NHS Trust

[14:40] Casey

Private healthcare provider Spire Healthcare has signed a £5.2 million contract with eEnergy that will see the latter provide a solar PV (photovoltaic) system across 38 sites belonging to the former.

The contract award follows the successful installation of the first solar trial site, with revenues under the contract expected to be recognised in FY24.

Spire operates a network of 39 hospitals and over 50 clinics, medical centres and consulting rooms across England, Wales and Scotland, delivering private healthcare services and a range of private and NHS mental health, musculoskeletal and dermatological services.

Jitesh Sodha, Spire Healthcare CFO and chair of the sustainability committee said: “Environmental sustainability is a core component of our strategy and operations. With this investment, we are reducing our carbon emissions and reducing our costs.”

Harvey Sinclair, eEnergy CEO, commented: “This contract win is one of our largest to date. The award underscores our dedication to deliver innovative energy efficiency solutions for our clients, showcasing our multi-project and multi-site abilities.

“The contract also showcases eEnergy’s strong position within the healthcare industry and reflects the trust our clients place in our ability to optimise their energy consumption while reducing costs and environmental impact.”

Healthcare in solar

It is not just private healthcare that has taken on solar projects for their sites in the UK; the country’s National Health Service (NHS) has also taken steps forward.

For example, Raigmore Hospital in Inverness has installed a solar electric vehicle (EV) charging hub that is said to be the “first of its kind to be operational in Scotland.”

The solar car park (SCP), dubbed Papilio3, was installed by the EV chargepoint operator 3ti. It is made out of a recycled shipping containers containing 12 chargepoints able to fast charge up to 12 EVs simultaneously at 7kW, 11kW, or 22kW.

Papilo3 will use electricity generated from an existing solar array with a total capacity of 19.32kWp, generating an average of 18MWh of electricity annually. This will be integrated with “existing local power” to power the 12 chargers.

It is also worth noting that NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has installed a solar PV array on the south-facing roof elevation at Health House in Hull. The array is set to generate more than 300MWh of renewable energy, saving the NHS over £60,000 in electricity costs.

The array’s warrantied operational lifespan is 20 years. It includes 41 monocrystalline solar panels, a monitoring platform, and a high-performance inverter.

NHSPS also installed a live generation data display from the solar array in the clinic’s reception, which aims to help “increase awareness and visibility around energy consumption.”