In recent years, a growing number of hospitals have begun meeting their energy requirements by installing solar panels.
When it comes to solarizing healthcare facilities, one Indian state is shattering every record that has ever been set. Since 2009, the state of Chhattisgarh has been putting pressure on hospitals to convert to solar power. Over 66,722,000 kilowatt hours of electricity is produced annually by the solar panels that the state government has previously put on 1,432 of its public hospitals and health clinics.
But why exactly should the medical sector transition to using this environmentally friendly form of energy?
Why Should Hospitals Consider Using Solar Energy?
The healthcare industry consumes a significant amount of energy. Electricity is required at medical facilities such as clinics, laboratories, and wards for a variety of essential tasks, including lighting, operating medical equipment, and refrigeration of medications. This increasing demand for energy primarily results in the following three effects:
- Extremely high costs for the use of electricity
- Excessive release of glasshouse gases
- Absolute reliance on unreliable resources
Making the switch to solar energy can help hospitals reduce the severity of all three of these consequences. It would be possible for healthcare institutions to significantly reduce their monthly energy costs by producing their own electricity and selling any excess to the grid. In addition, solar electricity is a clean energy resource that does not add to the production of emissions that contribute to global warming.
Last but not least, healthcare facilities have the opportunity to supplement their energy needs with this alternative energy source. Consumers would be able to continue to power their buildings even in the event of load-shedding or other disruptions to the grid if solar energy could be stored using battery-based solutions.
Solar power offers numerous advantages to healthcare facilities.
- Reduction in Expenses:
The monthly energy costs that hospitals must pay are extremely high. Solar energy generation offers businesses a big opportunity to cut down on their overall energy expenses. According to a survey by the UNDP, a healthcare facility might reduce its expenses by as much as forty percent by utilizing this natural resource. - Reliability:
 Solar energy systems have a higher level of dependability when compared to grid-based electricity, which is prone to power outages and load shedding. When this occurs, hospitals have the option of switching to solar energy as an alternative to the power provided by the grid. - Low Requirement for Maintenance:
Solar-powered systems require very little in the way of maintenance, other than a simple cleaning once every two weeks. - Long-lasting:
The typical lifespan of a solar power plant is 25 years. The mechanism will continue to function as a buffer against increases in tariffs during the entirety of this period. - Decreases the industry’s carbon footprint:
The healthcare sector is responsible for the emission of a significant quantity of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These emissions can be reduced to a lesser extent if organizations move to more environmentally friendly forms of energy.
How can Hospitals benefit from Solar energy?
While transitioning to solar energy, hospitals have the option of installing one of three different types of solar systems:
- Rooftop Solar:With this sort of solar energy generation system, medical facilities like hospitals and clinics can have solar panels installed on top of their roofs. The only requirement is a roof area that is free of shadows and has enough room to accommodate the modules. Numerous hospitals have solar panels installed on their rooftops.
- Solar Panels Mounted on the Ground:A company or organization that has access to a significant amount of land that is free of overcast can utilize this acreage to put solar panels on the ground and generate electricity. In order to supply its hospitals with electricity, HCG developed a ground-based system that spans a parcel of land that is 7.2 acres in size.
- An integrated solar roof solution:In recent years, advancements have been made in solar solutions. Consumers now have the option of installing an integrated solar roof, in which the solar panels themselves serve as the agent that protects the roof from the elements.
Carports and other unused areas of hospitals can be transformed into usable space with the help of cutting-edge solar roofs like Ornate InRoof. Converting hallways, waiting-for areas, and other such spaces into miniature power plants can remove the requirement for sheet roofing.
Aside from these installations, the healthcare industry also has the option of going the open access route and sourcing their solar energy from already established solar farms put up by the state at a price that is cheaper than that of energy based on thermal sources.
THE FINAL NOTE:
It is essential, necessary and the best thing to enable the healthcare department with solar. Thus, it is possible to treat public health and environmental health at the same time.
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