University Hospital Monklands to be Scotlands first net zero hospital

University Hospital Monklands, currently under development, will achieve the status through both construction and operation, with a major contribution from an 11-acre ground-mounted solar farm.

Located at Wester Moffat in Airdrie, the solar photovoltaic (PV) array forms a central part of the Monklands Replacement Project (MRP) and supports an all-electric energy strategy.

Graeme Reid, MRP director, 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."

The solar farm will be located at the eastern edge of the hospital site and will generate the majority of the facility’s renewable power, supporting its carbon-neutral goals.

Reid said: "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 3.4 feet by six feet.

"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 solar development also includes two electricity substations, an access road, and additional supporting infrastructure.

Planning consent for the solar farm was granted by North Lanarkshire Council earlier this year.

The Monklands Replacement Project is currently awaiting approval from the Scottish Government for its full business case.

If approved, construction of the hospital will begin, with an expected opening in 2031.

The new hospital will provide both scheduled and unscheduled care for nearby residents, as well as specialist services such as cancer care, urology surgery, and all planned inpatient orthopaedic surgery for Lanarkshire.