IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
An Inland Empire hospital is being powered by what is reportedly the largest hospital-based, renewable energy microgrid system in the United States.
Kaiser Permanente Ontario Medical Center is getting an extra two megawatts of solar-generated power from the new system, and nine megawatt hours of non-lithium battery storage capacity, according to a statement released by the medical center.
The microgrid, which includes a one-megawatt fuel cell, conforms with California’s planned conversion to total renewable energy by 2045.
A megawatt is the equivalent of one million watts.
Besides providing clean electrical power for the hospital’s regular use, the grid will be the facility’s first emergency power backup system. That system is capable of providing all of the hospital’s electricity for 10 consecutive hours.
Kaiser Permanente has a history of environmentalism. The healthcare provider reached carbon neutral status in 2020, and it’s committed to eliminating half of its emissions by 2030, and all emissions by 2050, according to the statement.
