One of the UK Government’s major climate commitments was the establishment of GB Energy, a state-owned energy company intended to drive investment in renewable energy and increase energy independence.
Last week, GB Energy’s first major investment was announced – a total of £200 million to provide rooftop solar panels for 200 schools and 200 NHS sites. [1]
Figure 1: Solar Panels on Airedale Hospital [2]
Why This Investment?
Announcing the investment, 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. 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.” [1]
It is clear from this that the Government sees an opportunity to make investments through GB Energy to decrease annual energy bills for government departments, which have increased drastically since the beginning of the energy crisis.
Utility-scale solar is the cheapest form of energy production in the UK, with solar panels continuing to become cheaper and more efficient over time. Although rooftop developments on hospitals and schools will not benefit from the same efficiencies as utility-scale solar, they will benefit from bypassing the UK’s current shortage of grid connections, which are hampering utility-scale developments.
How has the Proposal Been Received?
Stakeholders across renewable energy, health and education have generally welcomed the plans, though they will initially affect less than 1% of schools and a third of NHS trusts. [3] It has also been suggested that increasing the proportion of renewable energy used by public services could reduce the UK’s reliance upon imported fossil fuels.
The Shadow Energy Secretary, Andrew Bowie, opposes the plan, stating that “Labour’s Net Zero zealotry is still set to make us poorer. The government is putting our very energy security at risk with their attacks on North Sea Oil and Gas – surrendering our energy independence to foreign powers like Russia”. [3]
Considering a Renewable Energy Development?
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References
[1] “Great British Energy to cut bills for hospitals and schools” (21st March 2025), Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/great-british-energy-to-cut-bills-for-hospitals-and-schools)
[2] Wikipedeon (2nd March 2022) from WikiCommons. Accessed on: 25th March 2025.
[3] Esme Stallard, “Schools and hospitals get £180m solar investment” (21st March 2025), BBC News (accessed at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80y2j8d92no)
