Solar farm to help power Scottish super hospital in Lanarkshire

A new state-of-the-art hospital in Lanarkshire will be partially powered by a large solar farm the size of around six football pitches.

The new University Hospital Monklands at Wester Moffat, which received planning consent from North Lanarkshire Council earlier this year, will have 11 acres of ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.

This will allow the hospital to “harness the power of the sun” to generate up to two megawatts of electricity.

The farm will be located at the eastern edge of the hospital and will include 6,350 solar panels, two electrical substations, an access road, and ancillary infrastructure.

The new facility will replace the current Monklands hospital in Airdrie, with a targeted opening of 2031.

MRP director Graeme Reid said: “Given the project’s commitment to sustainability, we’re delighted to have the opportunity to use solar PV. It will be part of a fully-electric energy strategy alongside air source heat pumps and water source heat pumps.

“Some solar power will come from panels on part of the hospital’s roof but most of it – up to two megawatts – will be generated by the solar farm at the eastern edge of the site.

“The farm will have approximately 6,350 solar panels, each measuring about 3.4ft by 6ft. They’ll be arranged in south-facing clusters, each with around 50 panels inclined at the best angle for year-round solar energy generation.”

The Scottish Government is now considering approval of the MRP’s Full Business Case.

Approval would give the green light to begin hospital construction, which will be built on farmland at Wester Moffat in Airdrie in 2031, a three-year delay to the previously planned 2028 date.

NHS Lanarkshire previously said the new University Hospital Monklands promises to be the most advanced hospital in Scotland when it opens.

The project plans to maximise the natural environment the hospital sits within, including connection to and improvement of the North Calder Water Heritage Trail.

The new University Hospital Monklands will also benefit from increased parking provision compared to the current hospital, including the construction of a multi-story car park.