Announcement comes as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch signals a retreat from her predecessors support for the cross-party commitment to reach net zero by 2050Source: ShutterstockAround 400 school and NHS sites will get solar panels through the 200m initiativeThe government has announced its first major project for Great British Energy, aimed at reducing energy bills for public services through the installation of solar panels on schools and NHS sites across England.The 200m initiative is part of the governments attempts to alleviate the financial strain caused by rising energy costs on public services. Around 200 schools and 200 NHS sites across the UK will see rooftop solar panels installed, with the government promising millions of pounds of savings over the next 30 years.The solar panels will be installed by the end of summer 2025. The programme is allocating 80m for installations at schools, with a further 100m directed towards NHS sites.The aspiration is that schools and hospitals will also be able to sell surplus energy back to the grid. The government claims the initiative could deliver up to 400m in lifetime savings.Source: ShutterstockEd Miliband,energy secretaryEnergy secretary Ed Miliband said: This is our clean energy superpower mission in action, with lower bills and energy security for our country.Juergen Maier, chair of Great British Energy, said the scheme marked the first step in Great British Energys work with local communities to help them generate their own energy.He added that partnering with the public sector would help crowd in investment and create job opportunities across the country as the company works to scale up future projects.In addition to the core solar scheme, nearly 12m will support local authority and community-led clean energy projects, including onshore wind, hydropower and rooftop solar. A further 9.3m will fund similar initiatives in devolved nations.Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: This investment will not only cut energy bills for schools but also help young people develop the green skills they need for the jobs of the future.Design Council chief executive Minnie Moll welcomed the announcement, saying: This announcement is a significant opportunity to combine the power of clean energy innovation with inclusive and sustainable design that supports the long-term resilience of our schools, hospitals and communities.But shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie criticised the governments net zero strategy, claiming it would leave the UK poorer.The announcement came in the same week that Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch signalled an end to the UKs commitment to achieving net zero by 2050. Badenoch claimed in a policy review that the target was impossible to achieve and said that current policies were failing to deliver on climate goals while driving up energy costs.Her decision to abandon the net zero commitment represents a break from the cross-party consensus that had guided UK climate policy since 2019, when the net zero target was enshrined in law under Theresa Mays government.Badenoch reinforced the shift by describing the UKs existing climate strategy as fantasy politics, built on nothing, promising the Earth. Her comments were seen by some as aligning with the Trump administrations policies in the US, where the federal government is engaged in a wide-ranging effort to roll back environental standards and regulation.