A new 1.042 MW solar array and battery storage solution has been switched on at Langdon Hospital in Dawlish, Devon.
The installation – funded through a national clean energy grant awarded to Devon Partnership NHS Trust by the Department for Energy Security, Net Zero and Great British Energy – is set to save the hospital nearly £185,000 a year, meeting over 60 per cent of its electricity needs.
Following its official switch on by Martin Wrigley, MP for Newton Abbott and Phill Mantay, chief executive at Devon Partnership NHS Trust, the ground-mounted solar-park and battery storage installation – designed and delivered by renewable energy specialist SunGift Solar – is now generating clean power which feeds directly into the hospital's operations.
The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by over 145 tonnes annually.
Central to the project's performance is the combination of high-efficiency JA Solar panels with Sigenergy’s hybrid inverters and battery storage solution. Across approximately 3.5 acres of land, 1,628 solar panels have been installed using an innovative low carbon steel ground mount structure made by Solarport, which results in a 66 per cent reduction in embodied CO₂ compared to conventional mounting frames.
The benefits of the PV system are maximised using onsite batteries. These enable Langdon Hospital to store excess solar energy generated during the day, which can then be drawn on overnight or during high-demand periods. This significantly reduces the hospital’s reliance on – and exposure to – peak demand grid prices, and opens up the potential for energy exports to the grid, that could bring in thousands of pounds of income to the Trust.
Phill Mantay, chief executive at Devon Partnership NHS Trust, said: “This investment not only supports our commitment to sustainability but also ensures significant cost savings that can be redirected into enhancing patient care. By embracing renewable energy, we are taking a crucial step towards a greener future for our organisation and the wider NHS community.”
Martin Wrigley, MP for Newton Abbott commented: “It's been a pleasure to celebrate the opening of the new solar array at Langdon Hospital. This one megawatt array will generate almost enough electricity to make the site largely self-sufficient. Not only will it reduce the hospital's carbon footprint, it will also make the site more resilient. All in all, this is a great example of how investment in renewable energy can benefit both local services and the environment.”
Gabriel Wondrausch, director at SunGift Solar, added: “Through the use of commercial solar cells, coupled with one of the largest battery storage installations of its kind in the UK, we have transformed a relatively small parcel of land into a hugely valuable solar asset capable of delivering the majority of the hospital’s annual electricity needs. This is particularly exciting because it provides a model that can be replicated across NHS and healthcare estates throughout the UK.”