DECARBONISATION
Hospitals typically have strong daytime electricity demand profiles, meaning locally generated solar electricity can often be used directly within site operations. Despite this alignment, solar deployment across the NHS estate remains significantly below its technical potential.
Rooftop constraints across hospital estates
One commonly cited barrier to solar rollout is the suitability of existing hospital rooftops. Many NHS buildings present practical challenges, including: n Structural limitations. n Complex roof geometries. n Congestion from existing plant equipment. n Asbestos presence. n Heritage restrictions. n Limited remaining roof lifespan.
A 6.9 MWp ground- mounted solar farm supplies renewable electricity directly to New Cross Hospital (Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust) via a private wire.
Iceland Foods has deployed solar generation at major distribution centres in Deeside and Swindon as part of its strategy to reduce operational emissions and strengthen energy security. The installations, delivered through a solar power purchase agreement, generate more than 2.7 million kWh of electricity annually, reducing the company’s carbon footprint by more than 500 tonnes each year. While hospital estates differ significantly from logistics facilities, the example illustrates an important principle: major organisations are increasingly treating energy infrastructure as a strategic asset rather than simply a utility cost. For NHS estates teams, this shift in perspective may prove equally important when planning long-term decarbonisation pathways.
Solar PV and battery storage: a strategic opportunity Among the technologies available to support estate decarbonisation, solar photovoltaic (PV) generation remains one of the most practical options for large building portfolios. Solar PV offers several advantages for complex
operational environments such as hospitals: n Mature and widely deployed technology. n Predictable generation profiles. n Relatively rapid deployment. n Minimal disruption during installation. n Low ongoing maintenance requirements.
Partnership is the key to meaningful progress.
When combined with battery storage, solar systems can also deliver additional operational benefits, including improved utilisation of locally generated electricity, reduced peak demand, and enhanced resilience during grid disruptions.
In some cases, enabling works may be required before solar installations can be safely deployed. In others, the available roof area is simply insufficient relative to hospital energy demand. While rooftop solar can make a valuable contribution to decarbonisation efforts, relying solely on rooftop installations is unlikely to deliver the scale of renewable electricity generation required across the NHS estate.
Car park solar canopies: an underused opportunity A significant yet often overlooked renewable energy opportunity across NHS estates lies within hospital car parks. Across England, NHS organisations collectively manage hundreds of thousands of parking spaces associated with healthcare facilities. Solar canopy structures installed above car parks can transform these spaces into productive renewable energy assets while providing additional operational benefits. These installations can offer:
n Significant solar generation capacity. n No competition with rooftop plant space. n Protection for vehicles from weather conditions. n Integration with EV charging infrastructure. n Visible sustainability improvements for staff and visitors.
For constrained hospital campuses, solar canopy systems can often deliver larger solar arrays than rooftop installations alone. They also align closely with the growing electrification of NHS vehicle fleets and the expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across healthcare estates.
Some NHS organisations also control peripheral
land that may be suitable for ground-mounted solar installations. This may include rural hospital campuses, estate land banks, or utility areas located within healthcare sites. Ground-mounted solar systems can offer several advantages compared with rooftop installations, including: n Lower installation costs per kilowatt. n Easier access for maintenance. n Larger potential system sizes. n Fewer structural constraints.
In some cases, renewable generation located near a hospital site could also supply electricity directly through a private-wire arrangement. For example, a private-wire solar project currently being developed by SSE Energy Solutions to supply the University of Surrey campus demonstrates how large institutional estates can secure dedicated renewable electricity even where building constraints limit on-site installation.
76 Health Estate Journal September 2026
AdobeStock / David /
peopleimages.com
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