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Improve resilience with renewables
Quality patient care requires always-on power – no matter what.
The impact of natural disasters makes it clear that the climate challenges we face are not abstract issues. More than ever, our nation’s healthcare energy infrastructure must be able to withstand extreme conditions.
For decades, diesel generators have been the de facto emergency power source. Today, sources of energy once considered alternative are providing reliable energy power at a fraction of the cost and environmental impact.
As of March 2023, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a categorical waiver permitting new and existing healthcare facilities to use alternative sources of emergency power. In other words, this program enables emergency power for an essential electrical system to be supplied by sources other than a generator, such as a microgrid system, opening the door to further decarbonization.
Utilizing a microgrid that coordinates onsite energy sources such as solar, fuel cells or battery energy storage systems for emergency power is more sustainable, more resilient, and often more reliable than fossil-fueled generators. For example, when Hurricane Fiona wiped out power across Puerto Rico, limited diesel supplies threatened the uptime of community health centers. But all nine community health clinics with solar-powered systems remained operational..
By managing when, where and how energy is used, microgrid systems can help you reduce carbon footprint and operating costs by generating power from renewables, optimizing energy consumption and avoiding peak demand. Plus, microgrids enable you to operate independently from the main electrical grid to help strengthen resilience and ensure around-the-clock uptime.
