April 2025: Spire Methley Park Hospital has just completed the installation of 173 440W solar panels, as part of a major carbon reduction programme. The panels are expected to generate 64,117 KWh of the hospital’s annual electrical needs, reducing the overall carbon output of the hospital by 30,122kg a year.
The installation is part of a programme across Spire Healthcare, to put in place over 12,000 solar panels at all of its 38 hospitals across England, Wales and Scotland this year, backed by an investment of £5.2m.
Nationwide, the programme will reduce the hospital estate’s combined annual carbon footprint by approximately 968 tonnes, that’s the equivalent of:
- Planting 44,000 trees
- Taking 390 medium-sized cars off the road
- Flying from London to Sydney almost 200 times
Spire Healthcare has committed to become carbon neutral by 2030, the first independent sector healthcare provider in the UK to do so.
Other environmental initiatives at Spire Methley Park hospital include recycling waste, installing LED lighting and working in partnership with international charities to repurpose old hospital equipment. The hospital also has a dedicated carbon champion, who promotes sustainability across the site and encourages colleagues to reduce carbon usage.
Andrew Webster, Hospital Director at Spire Methley Park Hospital, said: I’m delighted that we have had the opportunity to install solar panels here at Spire Methley Park Hospital. This will make a tremendous difference to our energy costs and benefit the environment. I’m proud of all my colleagues’ involvement in completing this project with very little impact to the running of the hospital . We look forward to meeting our goal of becoming carbon neutral by the end of 2030.”