1. Co-generation systems in hospitals. Save on energy, spend on treatment
Co-generation systems in hospitals consists of an ideal way of achieving improved energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions. Its utilization helps a hospital’s limited financial resources go further. Natural gas is a clean-burning low carbon emission fuel. A CHP plant facilitates the high efficiency use of this fuel, by recovering not only electricity but also heat. If the hospital has need for cooling, hospital trigeneration (or combined cooling, heat and power CCHP) technology can produce a supplementary source of cold water for refrigeration or air conditioning.
There is increasing pressure on the hospitals, pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors to improve efficiency.
With respect to energy this takes three key forms:
- Making limited financial resources go further
- Improving energy efficiency
- Reducing carbon emissions
https://www.clarke-energy.com/applications/hospitals/
2. CHP for Hospitals: Superior Energy for Superior Patient Care
CHP is a superior energy resource for hospitals because it can provide all of a hospital’s energy services efficiently and indefinitely during grid outages. For hospitals, losing electricity—even for short periods—can disrupt critical life support systems. When the power goes out, lives may be at risk. And with weather-related events becoming more frequent and severe in the U.S., grid outages are becoming more common. CHP, an onsite generation resource, can enable hospitals to continue to provide all services during grid outages.
In addition to providing reliable energy and making hospitals more resilient, CHP can help hospitals reduce costs and meet their sustainability and emissions reduction goals.
https://www.epa.gov/chp/chp-hospitals-superior-energy-superior-patient-care
3. Cogeneration Systems for Hospitals & Healthcare Facilities
Resiliency for Critical Infrastructure
Hospitals must meet critical power and thermal requirements year-round. Patients put their care in a hospital’s hands, and with that trust comes a burden on the facilities to run 24/7. Whether from a natural disaster or a power quality issue in distribution, any interruption can impact a hospital’s critical equipment and potentially disrupt patient care.
The Role of co-generation Systems in hospitals
CHP increases a hospital’s resiliency and sustainability by efficiently generating power and thermal energy continuously onsite. CHP systems operate 24/7 and can run in parallel with the utility power or as an emergency power source during a utility outage. The heat generated by the CHP system can be used to provide hot water, steam, and/or chilled water to support the facility’s HVAC infrastructure. During Hurricane Sandy in 2012, hospitals in NYC equipped with CHP were among the few buildings on the entire island that remained operational.
https://www.kinsley-group.com/cogeneration/markets-served/healthcare/
4. Co-generation systems in hospitals
Key messages
- Co-generation is the use of a natural-gas-fired engine to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat.
- Co-generation systems reduce energy waste and lower carbon emissions.
- Co-generation systems provide a secure electricity supply.
- Co-generation refers to the use of a natural-gas-fired engine to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat.
- All engines emit a certain amount of heat during electricity generation, which in the case of a typical coal-fired power station is considered waste heat and is released into the environment.
- By contrast, co-generation systems capture and use some of the heat. In buildings, this heat can be used for space heating, domestic hot water and in absorption chillers for cooling
https://www.health.vic.gov.au/planning-infrastructure/co-generation-in-health-services
5. Four benefits of cogeneration for hospital energy resiliency
Few organizations need to consider energy resiliency more than a hospital. An essential service of any community, the pandemic showed us firsthand the important role hospitals play in times of crisis. It also thrust facility management into the spotlight and illustrated how the health of our buildings — things like airflow control and ventilation — play an important role in our health outcomes.
So why are many hospitals still using outdated systems to manage their energy consumption, leading to higher costs, less efficiency, and greater risk? Especially when there are options available that can be easily integrated and provide massive benefits.
One method that hospitals are finding success with is cogeneration, also known as combined heat and power (CHP), cogeneration is the simultaneous production of two or more forms of energy from a single fuel source. Simply put, it recovers the heat that is normally lost during power generation and uses it for heating and cooling, and it provides a hospital with a host of benefits.
