New solar farm built at former landfill site will power Wolverhampton hospital for three quarters of the year
A solar farm which will power a city hospital for three quarters of the year is set to be up and running this spring.
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), in partnership with Wolverhampton Council, has built the solar farm for New Cross Hospital at a former landfill site the size of 22 football pitches, adjacent to Bentley Way in Wednesfield and set to open in April.
The facility will power the entire hospital site with self-generated renewable energy for around 288 days a year, which will save the Trust around £15 to £20 million over the next 20 years.
It will produce 6.9MWp of renewable energy to New Cross Hospital and will generate an estimated carbon saving of 1,583 tonnes of CO2e per annum.
More than 15,000 electricity generating solar panels have been installed at the site by main contractor Vital Energi and work to secure the 40-plus acre brownfield site included protecting badger setts, and removing methane.
The project, combined with existing green technologies, allows the Trust to move away from reliance on the national grid and to reduce its exposure to rising electricity costs in the next two decades.
It also supports the Trust’s goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 25 per cent by 2025, and of reaching ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2040.
