SOLAR PV
contract. If anything goes wrong with your system, they can escalate your warranty claim through their supplier contacts and remove and replace a part of the system if necessary.
Monitoring: Remote monitoring is the most cost-effective O&M decision a Trust can make, and it must be specified at design stage. The correct meters need to be installed during commissioning, as retrofitting monitoring to a system not designed for it costs significantly more than including it from the outset. A monitored system provides real-time visibility at panel, string, or inverter level. Any drop in output is identifiable immediately, and an engineer can be dispatched. Solar PV is generally a very safe technology, but like
anything involving high voltage, if not looked after, there is a potential for fire. Trusts monitoring their panels will see evidence of underperformance long before this becomes a threat.
Monitoring data also provides the ESG and carbon reporting evidence that NHS Trusts increasingly need to demonstrate meaningful progress against Net Zero targets.
Legacy systems Many Trusts already have legacy solar PV systems on site, sometimes without documentation, monitoring, or a current maintenance agreement. If you manage inherited solar assets, the following questions should be asked: When was the system last independently inspected? Is the system monitored remotely? Is output consistent with the design specification? Is the original installer still trading? Is there an O&M contract with defined response times? Do you have the original warranty and system certifications? If you are worried about your legacy systems, it is usually much more cost effective to commission an independent survey to understand the condition of the system and repair this than install an entirely new solar PV system.
Case study 3 n Legacy system recovery at a Hospital Trust
The Trust inherited a solar PV array from a contractor that had subsequently ceased trading. Without monitoring, without a maintenance agreement, and without documentation, the system had been generating significantly below its design output for an indeterminate period. Carbon3 carried out a full survey, identifying incorrect ballast placements causing panels to shift and break, roof damage, live DC voltage at isolators that could cause electrocution, water ingress at junction boxes, no surge protection devices fitted, and a myriad of further issues. We had to recommend that eight out of the 10 solar
PV systems installed should be removed and replaced completely for safety reasons. As the Trust placed their grant funding in the hands of cowboy installers, they have now lost their initial investment as well as any savings or SEG payments from the solar PV.
What to do next There is no shortage of rooftops, car parks, and available land across the NHS estate that could support solar. The difference between projects that happen and projects that sit in presentations is often whether the groundwork was already done when the funding opportunity arrived. The following action plan is designed to help estates teams reach that state of readiness without requiring significant resource.
In the next three months: n Identify your priority buildings, usually those that use the most energy and have solar-ready roofs. Avoid listed buildings if you can, and if not, get in contact with your local council to find out whether solar is likely to be approved on these buildings.
n Contact your DNO to find out whether export is limited in your area.
n Locate or commission structural drawings of your roofs. n Identify a compliant procurement route.
In the next six months: n Commission a site suitability survey. n Request indicative financial modelling. n Prepare a board-ready business case. n Audit any legacy solar assets on your estate.
In the next twelve months: n Submit funding applications where rounds are open. n Appoint a contractor via a compliant framework route. n Specify monitoring at design stage. n Establish a plan for inverter replacement and end- of-life.
References 1 NHS England. Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service. London: NHS England; 2020. Available from: https://www.
england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/publication/delivering-a-net- zero-national-health-service/
2 National Audit Office. Government building maintenance backlog is at least £49 billion, spending watchdog says. London: NAO 2025. Available from:
https://www.nao.
org.uk/press-releases/government-building-maintenance- backlog-is-at-least-49-billion-spending-watchdog-says/
3 Solar Energy UK. Solar PV Installation Guide for Non-Domestic Buildings. London: Solar Energy UK; 2023.
4 Ofgem. Connections Reform: Distribution Network Operator Application Timelines. London: Ofgem; 2024. Available from:
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk
5 Carbon Trust. Renewable Energy Finance Guide for Public Sector Organisations. London: Carbon Trust; 2023. Available from:
https://www.carbontrust.com
6 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Gas and electricity prices in the non-domestic sector. London:DESNZ; 2026. Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/ statistical-data-sets/gas-and-electricity-prices-in-the-non- domestic-sector
7 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Great British Energy: Public Sector Decarbonisation Programme Guidance. London: DESNZ; 2024. Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/ guidance/great-british-energy
Arianna Lee
Arianna Lee is marketing manager at Carbon3, a decarbonisation specialist working with NHS and public sector estates across the UK. Carbon3 is ranked no.1 on the NHS SBS Decarbonisation of Estates Framework, and has installed across over 30 NHS sites in 2026 alone, deploying over 3 megawatts of solar PV.
East Surrey Hospital.
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