The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded £730,000 of national funding to install solar panels at its Wirral site, reducing energy costs and freeing up money that can be reinvested into frontline care.
The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has today (21st March 2025) announced a total package of £100m 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.
The £730,000 awarded to The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre will be used to install approximately 1,000 solar panels (also known as photovoltaic panels) on the roofs of Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Wirral, which opened in 1958 and is therefore the least energy-efficient of its three main sites.
It is estimated that the panels will produce an average of 300 MW/h of solar energy, saving around 70 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year and contributing towards the The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre's goal of delivering greener, more sustainable specialist cancer care.
The panels will also significantly reduce energy costs at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Wirral and the resulting savings will be reinvested into frontline services and support for patients.
Work on the panels is expected to start in Autumn 2025 and to be complete by late Spring 2026. The project will be led by The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre's estates subsidiary company, PropCare, who also submitted the application for the funding.
Tom Pharaoh, Director of Strategy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and executive lead for sustainability and our Green Plan, said:
We are always striving to deliver even greener cancer care and even greater productivity and value for the public purse. Making sure we are as energy-efficient as possible is a win-win all round so it is fantastic news that we have been awarded this £730,000 of Government funding to install solar panels across Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Wirral, following the high-quality bid submitted by PropCare, our estates company.
It will transform the site by making it much more energy-efficient as well as saving money that we can invest in cancer services for our patients instead of energy bills.
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.
