RENEWABLE ENERGY
Damian Baker
Damian Baker is the Managing director and founder of RenEnergy, a leading renewable energy company established in the UK in 2006. Under his leadership, RenEnergy has become a pioneer in delivering innovative solar photovoltaic (PV) solutions, with a particular focus on solar carports, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, and energy storage systems. With over two decades of experience in the renewable energy sector and qualifications in agriculture, economics and public relations, Damian has been instrumental in advancing sustainable energy practices for a wide array of clients across sectors, including as commercial, industrial, and agricultural clients. His expertise encompasses the design and implementation of bespoke solar PV systems that integrate seamlessly with existing operations, thereby reducing energy costs and carbon footprints. In 2012, recognising the unique energy challenges in different markets, Damian founded RenEnergy Africa. This expansion allowed the company to develop and refine a diverse portfolio of offerings, including grid-tied and hybrid energy solutions tailored to regions experiencing issues such as unstable power supply. In 2023, RenEnergy was acquired by Aggreko.
Above left: The country’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan aims to unlock the solar generating capacity of the UK and achieve 45GW of installed solar PV by 2030. Above right: Solar carports can be an attractive energy solution.
In most cases the responsible party will be whoever is funding the installation. If the tenant bears the cost of the initial installation, they will retain ownership of that system until the end of the lease or the end of the system’s life. As such, they will likely also be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the solar panels, removing risk from the landlord. However, deciding which party is responsible for any potential damage to the building owing to the installation and operation of the solar panels can complicate negotiations. This, combined with concerns over high upfront costs, underlines the need for flexible financial models to allow for solar installation in hospitals and healthcare facilities. And we are seeing more ownership models becoming available that suit individual leasehold agreements from a financial and legal standpoint. These options are covered in detail in, ‘Solar PV On Commercial Leasehold Properties’.3 One example of these ownership models is where tenants take on responsibility – installing, maintaining and benefitting from the solar array directly by selling additional energy back to the grid. This revenue generation could outweigh the costs of maintenance – a solution to a barrier that could disincentivise estate managers from investing in solar. Alternatively, landlords can own and maintain the panels. As well as exporting energy back to the grid, they may sell it at below-market rates to the tenant via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). A PPA may appeal to healthcare providers operating on a tight budget and without the capex budget to meet the upfront costs of such installations. A third option could be that a third party, also known as a ‘solar tenant’, develops the solar array on the roof of the building by leasing the roof space from the landlord, before selling the energy it produces to the occupant at below-market cost. This removes potential obligations for the landlord and the tenant – as neither is responsible for the array’s maintenance or eventual removal. These arrangements provide an option for either the landlord or tenant to purchase and take ownership of the system at a later date.
Adhering to sustainability legislation Implementing solar PV allows healthcare estate managers to confidently demonstrate their commitment to lowering their carbon footprint in line with Net Zero goals. The sustainability agenda is reflected in new and
66 Health Estate Journal January 2026
emerging legislation. The Procurement Act 2023, for instance, changed public procurement rules and updated the consideration criteria. The Act moved from judging bids on the Most Economically Attractive Tender (MEAT) approach to Most Attractive Tender (MAT). According to UK government this change made “clear that the focus for awarding contracts does not have to be the lowest price or that price/cost must always be weighted higher than non-price factors.”4
In doing so, contracts may
be determined on the basis of a wide range of factors including “price and quality criteria in addition to wider social and environmental issues.”4
For healthcare estate
managers, this means their focus can shift to prioritising sustainable operations which they know will not have a negative impact on any external procurement decisions. This must all be considered within the UK’s wider decarbonisation plans. The country’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan aims to unlock the solar generating capacity of the UK and achieve 45GW of installed solar PV by 2030.5
As acknowledged by the Sunak administration
in 2023, a significant proportion of this capacity could come from the untapped potential of roof space of non- domestic properties, including healthcare estates. Through conversations with the sector, we’re already seeing healthcare estates maxing out their rooftop potential, resulting in new solar avenues – such as carports – being explored.
Cost consideration For the benefits of this solar potential to be realised, policy must keep pace with ambition. We are steadily seeing this on the ground. For instance, the Climate Change Levy (CCL)6
is an environmental tax applied
to non-domestic energy consumers to encourage more sustainable operations, it can markedly affect financial bottom lines and by association, the ability to provide best possible care. By entering into voluntary agreements in line with the Climate Change Act (CCA),7
more energy-
intensive organisations can reduce the amount they owe through the CCL. By reducing their carbon emissions, these organisations can receive significant financial relief against their previous obligations. Given this, the strategic case for investing in solar PV technologies is further underlined for healthcare estate managers. Solar PV has an exceptionally attractive return on investment (ROI) for estate managers. The average ROI for an estimated 100kWp roof array is 25.84% meaning the investment would pay for itself in just four years.8
The more
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