DESNZ announces £74m funding for public sector clean energy upgrades
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced £74m in funding for clean energy upgrades across public sector sites, including 82 NHS Trusts, eight military sites and one prison, to cut energy bills and boost efficiency, with savings reinvested into frontline services. The funding will support technologies such as solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and energy-efficient lighting, with DESNZ estimating that nearly 190 NHS sites will save almost £30m a year, while military sites in England and Scotland will achieve annual savings worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. More than £9m of the funding will be delivered in partnership with Great British Energy (GBE) for battery and solar installations, building on GBE’s £255m investment in solar power for hospitals, schools and military sites in 2025. Projects include £1.2m for solar panels at Lincoln County Hospital, £590,000 for battery technology at the Harbour mental health hospital in Blackpool, upgrades at RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Waddington and RAF Marham, and £495,000 for solar panels plus nearly £250,000 for electrical and plumbing works at HMP Channings Wood in Devon, with DESNZ stating that the investment supports the government’s clean power mission and wider energy security goals.