Ed Miliband splurging £200m on solar panels in schools
A £200 million investment from the clean energy company's Government-funded budget will put rooftop solar on schools and NHS sites.
Hundreds of schools and hospitals will get solar panels on their roofs as part of the first major project for publicly owned Great British Energy. A £200 million investment from the clean energy company’s Government-funded budget will put rooftop solar on schools and NHS sites in efforts to save hundreds of millions of pounds on energy bills and free up cash to reinvest in frontline services.
The investment also includes funding for councils and community groups to build local clean power projects, such as community-owned onshore wind, rooftop solar and hydropower in rivers. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “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.
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“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 front line.”
Hospitals and schools have faced soaring bills in the face of the energy crisis, driven by volatile fossil fuel prices, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said.
The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user with an estimated annual bill of £1.4 billion – a cost that has more than doubled since 2019.
In England, around £80 million will support 200 schools to install solar panels, while £100 million will go to 200 NHS sites, cutting bills and providing the potential to sell excess power back to the grid, officials said, with estimated lifetime savings of up to £400 million over 30 years.
In addition Scotland will get £4.85 million, Wales £2.88 million and Northern Ireland £1.62 million for power projects including community energy and rooftop solar for public buildings.
There will be nearly £12 million to fund local authorities and community energy groups to build local clean power projects that can help drive growth, which could generate profits that could be reinvested into communities or cut people’s bills, the department said.
The first panels are expected to be on the roofs of hospitals and schools by summer 2025, and the DESNZ said a typical school could save £25,000 a year, while the average NHS site could see savings on bills of £45,000 if they had solar panels installed alongside technology such as batteries.
Funding will target areas most in need, with selected schools primarily clustered in deprived areas in the North East, West Midlands and North West, as well as at least 10 schools in each region.
GB Energy emerged as one of Labour’s most high-profile campaign pledges alongside its promise to cut energy bills by £300 a year by creating a zero carbon electricity system by 2030.
Tory MP Andrew Bowie said: “Be in no doubt, Labour’s Net Zero zealotry is still set to make us all poorer.
“Once again Ed Miliband has conspicuously left out any mention of the £300 off energy bills he promised during the election, and the Government is putting our very energy security at risk with their attacks on North Sea Oil & Gas - surrendering our energy independence to foreign powers like China and Russia.
“Kemi Badenoch and the Conservative Party are telling the British public the truth about Net Zero, and what it will cost. Labour are still plowing ahead with it - no matter the price we will all have to pay for it.”
By Energy Secretary Ed Miliband
Schools and hospitals have been hit with rocketing energy bills in recent years, costing taxpayers millions of pounds, and eating into school budgets.
And the NHS’s energy bill has more than doubled since 2019.
This is the price Britain pays for being stuck on the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets.
That’s why we’re putting Great British Energy, our new publicly owned energy company, to work straight away as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
Great British Energy is based on a simple idea- that you the British people should own and benefit from the transition to clean power.
Its first major project will provide power for pupils and patients – partnering with the NHS and Department for Education to invest £180 million to install solar panels on schools and hospitals in England.
Putting solar panels on our rooftops is a quick and cheap way of harnessing the sun’s power, so families, businesses and our public services can generate their own energy and cut their bills.
But currently only about one in five schools and fewer than one in 10 hospitals have them installed.
Thanks to the funding Great British Energy has announced today, the sun will power more of our classrooms and wards – leading to up to £400 million in lifetime savings for schools and hospitals.
This means more can be reinvested in our vital frontline services - for nurses and teachers, MRI scans and exams.
Parents at the school gate and patients in hospitals will experience the difference Great British Energy can make, with the first panels going up this summer.
The scheme will also support jobs for installers and technicians across England.
And by partnering with further education colleges, we will help young people gain the skills to work in clean energy.
Meanwhile Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from funding for community energy and rooftop solar for public buildings.
This will also create jobs for apprentices as well as seasoned engineers.
It is time to take back control of our energy, so our country can have protection from fossil fuel markets.
That's what this Government’s clean energy superpower mission is all about.
