Updated: 25th March, 2025
Created: 21st March, 2025
Robert joined Barker in 2002 and is a Partner based in our Braintree office. A Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, he has over 20 years’ experience of all core building surveying services and provides strategic estates advice to key accounts in the education, commercial, ecclesiastical and public sectors.
An education specialist, he provides the following services: estates and energy strategy, asset management planning, project management and capital funding applications.
Robert works closely with clients to plan and implement energy efficiency and sustainability strategies to save money, reduce carbon emissions and meet ESG objectives.
As a RICS Certified Historic Buildings Professional he provides conservation consultancy for clients with listed and historic buildings.
Robert is an experienced APC Assessor and Chairman and is also an external examiner for Anglia Ruskin University
As a Partner Robert leads the Business Development and Marketing function at Barker, builds relationships with key sector bodies and helps steer the strategic growth of the company.
Email: rgould@barker-associates.co.uk
Tel: 01279 648057
Barker welcomes today’s announcement from the UK Government and Great British Energy on a £200 million investment to install rooftop solar panels on 200 schools and 200 NHS sites. This landmark programme represents a strategic shift in how the UK’s public sector generates and consumes energy, unlocking significant clean power generation capacity—enough to drive real, lasting reductions in energy costs.
This is more than just an infrastructure project; it is a foundational step in a broader movement towards energy security, cost efficiency, and carbon reduction across schools, NHS Trusts, and local communities. By incorporating battery storage technology, the programme will aim to maximise the utilisation of locally generated power, reducing reliance on the national grid and reinforcing the commitment towards energy generation by Great Britain, for Great Britain.
The NHS alone is the largest public sector energy consumer, with an annual energy bill of £1.4 billion—a cost that has more than doubled since 2019. This new programme will triple the amount of solar PV capacity across the hospital estate, driving down operational costs while reinforcing energy resilience at critical healthcare sites.
At the same time, two-thirds of schools targeted for this investment are in less privileged areas, ensuring that the benefits of clean energy savings are directed where they are needed most. Beyond financial relief, the programme embeds long-term learning opportunities, equipping young people with green skills and an understanding of sustainable energy solutions—helping to build the clean energy workforce of the future.
At Barker, we have been leading the way in helping schools, hospitals, and local authorities design and implement large-scale solar PV and battery storage projects. We have delivered hundreds of solar installations, helping institutions cut costs and carbon emissions while maximising financial returns.
We are also proud to have played a key role in the Net Zero Accelerator Programme (NZAP), delivering Feasibility and Pathfinder studies that have directly informed this initiative. Our work on NZAP has provided strategic blueprints for large-scale solar deployment, ensuring that today’s announcement is backed by robust technical and financial modelling.
Tom Deacon, COO and Head of Energy & Sustainability at Barker, commented:
“With a significant increase in new solar PV capacity, this investment in schools and hospitals is an opportunity to embed long-term energy resilience into our critical infrastructure.
Having been closely involved in the school’s NZAP programme, we are proud that our feasibility work has contributed to shaping this strategy. Barker has been at the forefront of delivering large-scale solar PV systems for the public sector, and we look forward to helping schools and NHS Trusts turn this funding into real-world community impact.”
“The scale of this programme marks a genuine turning point for the public sector’s transition to clean energy.”
This initiative embodies the strategic imperative to provide more localised power generation, cutting costs, and reducing reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets. Schools and hospitals will also be able to sell excess energy back to the grid, creating an additional revenue stream that can be reinvested in frontline services.
To ensure the highest-quality installations, the programme will be delivered through established procurement frameworks to drive value for money and social value. By leveraging battery technology, institutions will be able to store and deploy energy more intelligently, reducing peak demand costs and enhancing self-sufficiency.
Beyond infrastructure, there is a strong community dimension to this programme, ensuring that the benefits of solar generation extend beyond individual sites. By partnering with local authorities and community groups, this initiative will explore ways to maximise local power use, ensuring that the clean energy transition is truly inclusive.
It is hoped that this announcement the start of a long-term learning journey—one that will continuously improve through data-driven insights and evolving best practices. With every project delivered, the sector will refine its approach to green technology deployment, ensuring that future rollouts are even more efficient, cost-effective, and impactful.
Barker is committed to helping schools, NHS Trusts, and local authorities take full advantage of this opportunity. Our expert team is ready to support organisations through feasibility assessments, funding applications, and project implementation—ensuring maximum financial and environmental returns.
To learn more about our Energy & Sustainability Services and how we can help you unlock the benefits of solar PV, visit our website.
We also invite schools and NHS Trusts to complete our Sustainability Self-Assessment, a free tool to help organisations evaluate their current energy strategies and identify improvement opportunities:
Take the Sustainability Assessment
The UK Government’s investment in solar PV is a landmark moment for the public sector’s energy transition. Barker is proud to be at the forefront of this movement, helping institutions turn ambition into action.
For tailored advice on how to integrate solar PV into your estate strategy, contact us today.