Field of dreams is shining a light on hospital spending
11,000 SOLAR PANELS SUPPLY ELECTRICITY TO CASTLE HILL
CASTLE Hill Hospital’s daytime power needs are supplied by 11,000 solar panels installed on a land adjacent to the hospital following a £4.2m investment.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust began installing the solar panels in September 2021, after five months, the project named “Field of Dreams” was complete.
With the clocks going forward and longer days ahead, the solar panels are now capable of generating enough to meet the power needs of the entire Castle Hill Site, including many life-saving surgical procedures.
Alex Best, head of capital for the trust, said: “Back in November 2020, we were lucky enough to receive a grant from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy as part of its Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to enable us to embark on this ambitious solar panel installation project.
“Our aim has always been to generate enough electricity to make the hospital site self-sufficient in the summer months when the days are longer, and now that the clocks have gone forward, the panels are generating around 26MWH per day so far in May, and are anticipated to rise to a peak summer load of 50 MWH per day”.
“Not only does this represent a significant contribution towards our plan to become carbon neutral by 2030, but the project is also saving us a significant amount of money on hospital energy bills; approximately £250,000 to 300,000 every month.
“The team which has worked on the solar field has done a fantastic job and we’re really pleased to be leading the way in this respect.
“We hope our patients and visitors will also see the value in what we’re doing for them, and for generations to come.”
With the “Fields of Dreams” project, the trust can lower its carbon footprint and generate its own electricity to run major specialist units.
Marc Beaumont, head of sustainability for the trust, said: “Castle Hill Hospital is a specialist regional centre for cardiology, oncology and haematology for example, and it boasts one of just a handful of specialist infectious diseases units around the country.
“When you consider the size of the Castle Hill Hospital site and the amount of activity that goes on here, that’s a huge amount of power that’s required to keep it running.
“Now, if you stop to consider what the solar panel project is actually contributing, it’s incredible to think that the power used to deliver patients’ radiotherapy treatment sessions, to support many life-saving surgical procedures, and to keep our intensive care unit running right now is all completely self-generated, green electricity.”