Solar installations make ambition of carbon-free healthcare a reality

Health and social care provider Priory has moved closer to achieving its ambition of providing carbon-free treatment thanks to a ground breaking €11.3million (£9.5million) solar partnership with Commercial.

The creation of solar arrays at 80 of Priory’s sites will eventually lead to the UK’s largest mental healthcare, social care and wellbeing specialists becoming their own energy supplier.

So far, solar arrays have been installed at 21 sites. The project is on course to realise huge savings, with 2.5million MWh of energy expected to be generated by the end of 2025.

That would realise an annual double saving: Cutting €1.9million (£1.6million) from the Priory’s electricity bills, and a 1,500 tonnes reduction in carbon emissions. A crucial step in meeting Priory’s ambition of making a 25% initial emissions reduction by the end of 2025.

Steve Baker, Managing Director – North, at Priory said: “This is solar power on an epic scale. It’s going to make significant savings. And that will allow us to invest even more into the services that benefit the people we support.

“Right from our first conversations with Commercial it was evident that we had a joint ambition to be able to implement large-scale energy generation.

“Commercial were able to demonstrate what they had done before. We knew that would be a game changer for us. We could see the environmental benefits, but also the significant savings that we would generate to reinvest into frontline care.”

Significant Savings

Commercial Business Transformation Specialist Vicky Kelly and Energy Consultant Billy Friar demonstrated how energy rationalisation solutions and solar power generation would generate significant cost and carbon savings.

“We started talking about solar and soon that evolved from one site to multiple sites across the estate,” Vicky said.  “Some Grade II Listed, and some with complex planning problems which we overcame.

“By the end of our first year we have installed arrays at 21 sites. With the project set to expand even further in the coming months and years. Soon some sites will be generating more energy than they use.

“We can then arrange for that to be sold back to the grid and to offset the energy that is used elsewhere on Priory’s estate. That is a massive step on the way to them becoming entirely energy self-sufficient.”

As part of the Priory Strategic Plan, the health and social care provider established its Priory Green programme in 2022. It’s aim is to deliver a 25% reduction in emissions by 2025. The first step towards a wider ambition to achieve Net Zero in line with Government targets in 2050.

Steve added: “The Priory Plan talks about not just the cost of doing things, but about doing them in the right way. Our impact on the environment is an important societal issue and it’s vital we do our bit.

“We have the potential to offer emission-free healthcare, which is fantastic in itself. If we think about it from the patient’s perspective, of course they want good care and support, and a comfortable space to stay, but green issues are also so important to people.

“As a health and social care provider we are able to demonstrate our commitment to environment, as well as to each person we care for.”