Schools and hospitals get £180m solar investment

“Right now, money that should be spent on your children’s education or your family’s healthcare is instead being wasted on sky-high energy bills,” said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.

“Great British Energy’s first major project will be to help our vital public institutions save hundreds of millions on bills to reinvest on the frontline,” he added.

The government also hopes that the project, to provide solar panels for 200 schools and 200 hospitals, will reduce the use of fossil fuels across public property and help achieve its long-term climate goals.

This is not the first time such a project has existed – the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, launched under the previous Conservative government, has been running for more than four years and distributed close to £3bn for green technologies.

This project in the first instance will target less than 1% of schools.

But Alex Green, head of Let’s Go Zero – a national campaign to reduce the climate impact of schools – said it was a welcome first move.

“It is tough economic times, and to see this progress is a big step. [Whilst] acknowledging that 200 schools is a small starting point, to achieve this in one year is a good pace,” she said.

The announcement has been strongly welcomed by schools, unions and NHS estate managers who have previously warned of the pressure of high energy bills.

In 2022, the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) had said that a third of its leaders were predicting a budget deficit following a spike in energy costs.

Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, said schools wanted to install solar panels as they provided cheaper energy than paying for gas, but the upfront cost could often be prohibitive.

“This announcement is therefore welcome and a step in the right direction. In the longer term, this should also help schools manage energy bills, which have been a source of enormous financial pressure in recent years,” he said.