Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Clara Medical Center has installed a solar power system, becoming one of the country’s first major medical centers to receive a significant amount of its energy from the sun.
“Kaiser Permanente has a long history of energy conservation and environmental stewardship, and our use of solar and other forms of renewable energy further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to improving the overall health and well-being of our members and the communities we serve,” said Gregory A. Adams, group president, and regional president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan/Hospitals in Northern California.
Kaiser Permanente agreed in March to install solar power systems at 15 of its California facilities – deploying at a total of 15 megawatts of solar energy – by the end of 2011. The agreement with Recurrent Energy, a San Francisco-based solar project developer and generating company, launched one of the largest sustainable energy programs in U.S. healthcare, officials said.
The solar panels at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara will reportedly produce 8.5 percent of the power used at the medical center – enough to provide electricity for 136 homes for one year.
The solar power projects are the first step in Kaiser Permanente’s plan to use onsite renewable energy sources to power its buildings nationwide. A focus on renewable energy sources is one aspect of the organization’s work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the use of harmful chemicals and promote sustainable food choices.
Kaiser Permanente officials say the investment in solar power will reduce the organization’s reliance on the public power grid and help it diversify its energy sources. The 15 megawatts of solar power will produce an average of 10 percent of the electricity at each of the facilities, which include the Vallejo Medical Center in northern California and medical offices in Lancaster and La Mesa in southern California. This is enough to provide electricity for about 1,900 homes a year.
Kaiser Permanente is purchasing solar power through power purchase agreements with Recurrent Energy, which will own and operate all of the solar power systems. Kaiser Permanente will retain all Renewable Energy Credits awarded for these solar projects.
“These solar agreements are a major step toward our goal of including a wide array of renewable sources in our energy portfolio,” said John Kouletsis, director of strategy, planning and design for Kaiser Permanente’s National Facilities Services department. In the future, energy sources could include thermal energy, wind and fuel cells in addition to solar.
Check out the medical center's energy savings and other statistics here.