A HEALTH centre in West Devon is looking forward to a greener future, thanks to a £60,000 investment. Tavyside Health Centre, which serves 9,000 patients in the Tavistock and West Devon area, has installed 120 solar panels on its roof which can generate up to 30 kilowatts of energy reducing the building's carbon footprint. The project was funded by Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking and arranged through the Government-backed Funding for Lending Scheme, under which the bank was able to offer a one per cent discount on the life of the business loan. South West firm Low Carbon Innovations Ltd installed the system over a one week period at the end of April 2014. The centre, constructed in 2011, was developed to house two former surgeries, Stannary and Wharfside, which merged in 2010 and have since increased their members of staff by six to 40. Dr Graham Johnson, partner at Tavyside Health Centre, said: 'We care for many patients across the Tavistock area and the new site enabled us to continue to offer a personalised high standard of care to our patients without being limited by space or outdated facilities.' The partners have added further services for their patients over the past few months, including ultrasound scanning, Dexa scanning, (a special type of x-ray measuring bone mineral density) and counselling. In the future, services such as dialysis treatments will be considered to ease pressure on other local NHS services. Dr Johnson said: 'The solar panels will enable the centre to save money and reinvest in its services while lowering its carbon footprint.' Tavyside is also home to an in-house pharmacy for on-site prescriptions and has a close relationship with the Royal Navy, inviting doctors from the service to train within the practice to complete general practitioner training. Mike Craigie, healthcare relationship manager at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: 'We worked closely with the merged surgeries from the word go to provide the guidance and support necessary to buy the land and build the premises. 'All the hard work of the partners has paid off as the building is a fantastic place to work and be treated in. 'By investing in green technology, the centre is able to sell any unused energy back to the National Grid.'