Eaton and Bloom Energy are working together to develop a microgrid for a medical center in California.
The energy firm did not name the healthcare facility or customer. The release by Eaton and Bloom Energy did say the project will reduce the site’s energy costs by up to 20% and greenhouse gas emissions by about 25%.
The U.S. healthcare industry accounts for almost 8.5% of carbon emissions nationally, according to the federal government.
Eaton is one of the companies which has joined the White House and Department of Health and Human Services Health Sector Climate Pledge to cut GHG emissions 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero goals by 2050. A group of 116 organizations representing 872 hospitals had signed the Pledge as of April 2023.
The announced medical center microgrid will partner Eaton’s microgrid controls with about 1.75 MW of Bloom Energy fuel cells. Eaton will provide turnkey microgrid system design, engineering and power distribution equipment.
“Healthcare organizations charting the path to a more sustainable future require innovative clean energy solutions that help reduce emissions, drive energy efficiency and improve resilience,” said Igor Stamenkovic, vice president and general manager for Eaton’s Electrical Engineering Services & Systems division. “Through close collaboration with healthcare customers and project partners like Bloom Energy, we’re demonstrating how microgrid systems can advance decarbonization and support always-on power in healthcare environments.”
The mission critical nature of hospitals and other medical industry facilities has led that industry to begin installing microgrid and other distributed energy technologies at a faster pace. Last month, Valley Children’s Hospital in California, the only acute-care pediatric hospital in the Central Valley, announced it was going to have a battery storage microgrid installed to backup power resiliency.
Last year, the District of Columbia put out notice it was seeking a developer to build, own and operate a future 4-MW microgrid to serve critical facilities on the St. Elizabeth’s East campus in DC.
"The industry we trust to protect our health might be one of the most vulnerable to losing energy," said Ashley Shirk, account executive at Bloom Energy. "In today’s reality of increasing uncertainty and elevated risk, it’s essential to implement a power source that provides the strongest layer of protection for critical facilities."
