Schools and hospitals have been hit with rocketing energy bills in recent years, costing taxpayers millions of pounds, and eating into school budgets and the NHS’s energy bill has more than doubled since 2019.

This is the price Britain pays for being stuck on the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets.

That’s why we’re putting Great British Energy, our new publicly owned energy company, to work straight away as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

Great British Energy is based on a simple idea- that you the British people should own and benefit from the transition to clean power.

Its first major project will provide power for pupils and patients – partnering with the NHS and Department for Education to invest £180 million to install solar panels on schools and hospitals in England.

Putting solar panels on our rooftops is a quick and cheap way of harnessing the sun’s power, so families, businesses and our public services can generate their own energy and cut their bills. But currently only about one in five schools and fewer than one in 10 hospitals have them installed.

Thanks to the funding Great British Energy has announced today, the sun will power more of our classrooms and wards – leading to up to £400 million in lifetime savings for schools and hospitals.

This means more can be reinvested in our vital frontline services – for nurses and teachers, MRI scans and exams.

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Parents at the school gate and patients in hospitals will experience the difference Great British Energy can make, with the first panels going up this summer.

The scheme will also support jobs for installers and technicians across England and by partnering with further education colleges, we will help young people gain the skills to work in clean energy.

Meanwhile Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from funding for community energy and rooftop solar for public buildings. This will also create jobs for apprentices as well as seasoned engineers.

It is time to take back control of our energy, so our country can have protection from fossil fuel markets.

That’s what this Government’s clean energy superpower mission is all about.