ENERGY


Above: Dual generators ensure resilience and continuity of power in critical environments.


Above right: Maintenance engineers on-site.


build sites, we work with estates managers and building contractors to design centralised standby systems that offer benefits such as built in capacity resilience covering operation and maintenance, temporary load connection points for testing and hire generator connections.


Sustainability and renewables NHS estates are focused on achieving Net Zero goals and eliminating direct carbon emissions by 2040. As part of their work to decarbonise existing estates and build sustainable new ones, many are investing in greener and more sustainable fuel sources or planning for large-scale energy transition in the future. Most standby generators operate on mineral diesel, but


in the last few years we have adapted our technologies to run on hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) too. This plant- based renewable fuel offers a direct and proven ‘drop-in’ alternative to mineral diesel with similarities in terms of constituent parts and equivalent energy output but up to 90 per cent lower CO²


emissions. We are seeing more Andy Towse


Andy Towse is product quotes manager at DPS, a specialist supplier of standby power generators, UPS, and BESS technologies. The company’s engineering teams work with healthcare estates managers and Tier 1 contractors to design, install, and maintain critical power systems as part of estate-wide power strategies. As a supplier partner to NHS Property Services, DPS delivers power resilience solutions including planned maintenance programmes to over 800 essential healthcare facilities across the UK.


estates considering HVO for new and existing generator systems, which can be retrofitted for HVO by first cleaning the fuel system and pump. However, it is important to recognise the practical and financial considerations that impact the healthcare sector’s transition to greener alternatives. The NHS is one of the largest users and storers of fuel in the UK, and hospitals typically purchase large volumes of diesel (hundreds, thousands, and sometimes even millions of litres at once) at advantageous rates as part of a national energy supply framework. This gives them a guaranteed form of power, not only to support technology but also to generate heat and steam, which are essential for patient comfort and infection control. The cost of purchasing large volumes of fuel and managing the infrastructure needed to store it on site are massive factors for estates managers to consider when planning for fuel transition to HVO and renewables. Supply chain resilience is another important consideration. Mineral diesel is a mature fuel source with a well-established supply chain. Although a reliable network of HVO manufacturers and suppliers is developing at pace, overhauling existing supply and infrastructure arrangements requires investment on the scale of a large capital project, and this means that for many estates a complete transition is unworkable in the short term. Diesel therefore remains the predominant source of energy for now, particularly in existing hospital buildings, but the modern diesel industry is working hard to evolve, with new technologies delivering improved environmental performance and more advanced after- treatment systems, including selected catalytic reduction (SCR) technologies, to lower emissions.


40 Health Estate Journal November 2026


Fluctuations within the system Full transition to clean energy sources will be a requirement for all healthcare estates in the future, so planning and preparing for change now is a priority for estates managers. Energy from renewable sources including solar, wind, and geothermal are expected to play an important role in powering increasingly electrified healthcare estates. This includes energy from the grid that has been generated from renewables as well as energy from an estate’s own dedicated renewable source. It is generally accepted that, in its current form, the grid alone will not be able to meet future demand, not only from healthcare but also from industries such as large-scale EV transport, manufacturing, and data centres. Many hospitals are now generating power from renewables within their estates, particularly from solar systems installed onto suitable roof space, while others are also investigating the potential of geothermal energy. A key issue for healthcare managers assessing the


viability of powering their estates with renewables is that levels of power generation rise and fall depending on weather conditions. When power from renewable sources ‘drops down’ it can create fluctuations within the system which can affect network performance and the delivery of smooth and constant power from the grid. To improve the way renewable energy sources are connected and managed and to increase energy security, the National Grid launched the Great Grid Upgrade in 2023, with a completion window of 2030 to 2032. OFGEM has pledged an initial £28bn of investment to fund what is the largest overhaul of the electricity network in generations, with a focus on expanding and modernising the network to cope with future demand and renewable integration.


A blended network While renewable sources of energy are not yet reliable or predictable enough to guarantee continuous power, they can be successfully incorporated into effective power strategies. The key to using renewables successfully within a healthcare estate is to establish a way of balancing generation, storage, and distribution onsite. We are working with estates to help them develop their own dedicated power networks by combining power from the grid with onsite renewables supported by standby generators, UPS and BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) solutions. A blended network like this allows the introduction of renewables without relying solely on them and provides reliable backup power to insure against a critical failure. BESS large-scale battery systems have a key role to play in the adoption of renewables. They enable estates to


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