NHS embraces on-site generation with new Ecotricity windmill

A new partnership between Ecotricity and Queen Elizabeth Hospital has resulted in the development of the new turbine, which will generate 1.2GWh of green electricity each year throughout its anticipiated 25-year lifetime. 

Ecotricity, which built the turbine at its own cost, says the hospital will save nearly 500 tonnes of CO2 a year and reduce its energy bills, but the firm would not disclose specific information on the financial savings expected generated by the new system.  

‘New industrial revolution’

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “Energy Partnerships are about working with our customers to make energy where they use it and sharing the benefits of green energy with them.

“Making energy where it’s used is the most efficient way; avoiding the losses and costs of transportation, it’s part of a 21st century approach to making and using energy – it means lower bills and emissions, but it’s also about democratising and decentralising the energy market in Britain.

“Green energy is a strong economic and environmental choice – it’s about jobs and the new industrial revolution, and building a truly sustainable economy in Britain.”

Local residents will also benefit from the turbine through a £1,000 community fund, available for each year of the windmill’s operation, which is now open to applications.

This is the latest in a line of business partnerships which has seen Ecotricity provide green power for companies including Ford, Michelin and Sainsbury’s.

Greener NHS

The windmill is also the latest in a series of NHS energy efficiency programmes which are helping to shrink costs and reduce emissions.

In February, edie reported on a new efficiency programme part-funded by the Green Investment Bank (GIB) at Salford Royal Hospital in Greater Manchester, which included the installation of a 2.5MW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engine.

And in December last year, the GIB also part-funded an energy efficiency upgrade at NHS Tayside in Dundee. That investment saw the construction of a new energy centre at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, which will provide 90% of the power and 100% of the heat in the hospital.

On-site solutions at edie Live

On-site sustainability solutions is one of the key topics to be discussed in depth at the edie Live 2016 exhibition at the NEC Birmingham in May. 

From the UK’s largest on-site solar installations to small-scale, single-site solutions, hear from those sustainability professionals that have already done the work and are making it happen for their business.

Register to attend edie Live 2016 here. 

George Ogleby