1 October 2026
The solar car canopy. Credit ZLC Energy
A solar car canopy has been installed at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and now generates enough power to run an operating theatre or 120 homes for the day.
Installed in phases on the top deck of the staff car park near the Women and Children’s Centre, the project made up of 960 panels was completed in just 12 weeks.
Great British Energy awarded £982,000 to The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the hospital, for the 200kw system.
Carried out by renewable energy specialists ZLC Energy, the solar panels now generate around 1MWh a day, will save £70,000 a year in energy costs and generate clean power.
The project aligns to the long-term vision of sustainable health services and more modern facilities, creating a better environment for patients and staff.
Matthew Neal, Group Chief Estates, Facilities and Capital Officer, said: “We are delighted to work with Great British Energy and to have received this funding to significantly invest in sustainable energy solutions for our hospitals and reduce our carbon footprint.
“This solar car canopy project marks a significant milestone for our organisation, representing the first scheme to be delivered as part of our Trust-wide commitment to sustainability. It demonstrates our determination to reduce our environmental impact and also sets a strong foundation for future projects as we continue to work towards achieving Net Zero.”
Mark Smith, Director at ZLC Energy, said: ‘It’s been great to be working with the SaTH team to deliver another solar carport project with the NHS to help cut their carbon footprint and to save energy costs that can now be better used elsewhere.
“My team and I have worked extremely hard to design and deliver a system that has least impact on the day-to-day operations of the hospital and its car parking whilst creating a cool looking structure.
“We’re now working on a rooftop installation for the Trust and are doing our best to help them decarbonise the site into the future.”
ZLC Energy has also completed work on installing 180 solar panels onto the Women and Children’s Centre roof at PRH.
The solar panels are expected to generate a further 66.5MWh of power a day, which is equivalent to the electricity demand from 15-20 houses a day, and save a further £17,000 in energy costs.
The NHS is the single biggest public sector energy user, with an estimated annual energy bill of around £1.3 billion, that has almost doubled since 2019.
Over the past 12 months, the Great British Energy and NHS collaboration has helped more than 260 NHS sites in England save money on bills through the solar roll-out scheme -savings that can be reinvested into frontline services.