Alton Rennalls, from company Vital Energi, trust chair Sir David Nicholson and councillor Bhupinder Gakhal (left to right) were pictured at the site, which features more than 15,000 solar panels [The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust]
Alton Rennalls, from company Vital Energi, trust chair Sir David Nicholson and councillor Bhupinder Gakhal (left to right) were pictured at the site, which features more than 15,000 solar panels [The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust]

A solar farm has supplied an entire hospital site with energy since April on account of the recent sunshine, trust bosses have said.

Bowman's Harbour Solar Farm in Wednesfield - which opened in 2024 - also provided roughly 75% of New Cross Hospital's electricity between April 2025 and March.

Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said the site further delivered an annual carbon reduction of about 1,450 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

The project is expected to save the trust an estimated £15m to £20m over 20 years and reduce the trust's reliance on electricity from the national grid.

The site was developed through a partnership between the hospital organisation, City of Wolverhampton Council and Vital Energi, a company that provides low carbon energy generation.

The site is about the size of 22 football pitches [The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust]
The site is about the size of 22 football pitches [The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust]

Trust chairman Sir David Nicholson said its first responsibility was "of course, to provide the best possible care for our patients".

But he added the organisation also had "a responsibility to think about the environment in which we deliver that care and the impact we have on the planet".

"This has been brought into even sharper focus during the heatwave conditions we have experienced recently," he said.

It has been officially opened after being developed through a partnership including the trust and council [The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust]
It has been officially opened after being developed through a partnership including the trust and council [The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust]

The council said it was "wonderful" to see a former landfill site "given a new purpose, generating clean renewable energy".

Cabinet member for city transport, Bhupinder Gakhal, said the project supported the authority's ambition "to create a cleaner, greener and more sustainable Wolverhampton by working with all sectors".

The solar farm, which officially opened on Thursday, was "a fantastic example of partnership working at its best", he added.

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The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust