Caribbean Sun Powers Flagship Haiti Hospital, And Then Some

Construction provided about 800 new job opportunities for Haitians and proceeded with only a couple of glitches. The unstable electrical grid and old system of backup generators didn’t mesh well with the new apparatus at first. Also, the roof was so hot at times that the panels lost efficiency, so the engineers painted the roof white to lower its surface temperature, suspended the panels about a foot above the roof to maximize air flow, and anchored them with concrete blocks.

The end result has proven over nearly a year now to provide more than 100% of the hospital’s daily needs. The power surplus allows administrators to sell daytime overage back to the grid and function on grid energy at night, with diesel generators for backup. Mirebalais is on track to cut about $379,000 in annual operating costs. In other respects, too, the hospital is eco-friendly, well designed, and prepped for hurricane-force winds. Designboom calls this “a testament to the ability of the built form to create a sustainable system for survival.”

If you want real-time details, the hospital’s Solectria Renewables–sponsored website gives 24/7 reads (refreshed every 15 minutes) on the site, local weather information, the environmental footprint, and other project details. Today’s generation (and it was cloudy): 1,340.3 kWh. The lifetime total thus far is 485 MWh of energy generated and a total reduction of 291 tons of carbon dioxide emissions equivalent.

The medical education function of the hospital officially started this fall. Studies have indicated that the facility is addressing much of the unmet need for fever treatment and women’s health, and that Mirebalais is partnering well with the other hospitals in the region, even boosting visits to nearby Lacolline. With only a $2.2 million initial investment, the solar power system will pay for itself in just under six years, far less than its design life.

Thanks to a relatively small investment in solar technology, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere now owns a state-of-the art research and teaching hospital equipped with 21st-century diagnostic and communications technology.

The Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais fulfills a second important goal of Partners in Health: it serves as “an antidote to despair among those most in need.” Such decentralized solutions “offer people in off-grid regions access to electric power, a fundamental requirement for economic and social development.”

The Haiti hospital also confirms the wisdom of recent solar hospital investments in other nations like India, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, Turkey, Malawi, and Congo; American progress with Veterans Administration facilities; and existing and planned US hospitals in Florida, Nevada, and California. Areas previously thought seasonally challenged, such as the UK, New Jersey, and Virginia, have also now begun to expand the range of sun charging for healthcare facilities.

And solar energy will clearly help determine Haiti’s future. In fact, with the help of the Clinton Foundation — and leading solar technology manufacturers SMA, Unirac, Trina, and Sunora Energy – NRG Energy Inc. just installed another solar array and battery storage system at Hôpital Bernard Mevs, Port-au-Prince, the only trauma, critical care, and rehabilitation facility in the Caribbean nation. It is ultimately expected to enhance life-saving services and equipment there. More to come.

Caribbean Sun Powers Flagship Haiti Hospital, And Then Some was originally published on: CleanTechnica.

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