Dive Brief:
- The New York Health + Hospitals network completed its first-ever solar panel installation at its Elmhurst Hospital facility in Queens, according to a Jan. 12 press release.
- The 55-kilowatt project, designed to supplement facilities’ daily energy use and power needs, also has battery storage for backup during power outages, the release said. This marks the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ 155th municipal solar installation, bringing the total capacity to at least 24 megawatts.
- DCAS Commissioner Dawn Pinnock said the project marks “a great milestone in our efforts to electrify our municipal building facilities,” with New York Health + Hospitals CEO and President Mitchell Katz adding that the installation contributes to the organization’s pledge to reduce emissions 50% by 2030.
Dive Insight:
The NYC Health + Hospitals network is a municipal health care system that encompasses over 20 million square feet of space across 75 buildings, with over 1,000 pieces of mechanical equipment, including boilers, generators, air handling units and elevators. These assets all contribute to the carbon footprint across the health system and New York City, the release said.
The Elmhurst installation began in March 2020. The Clean Energy Generation program, which the project is part of, seeks to expand distributed energy resources including solar photovoltaic and energy storage installations across the city’s properties, DCAS said.
In addition to installing solar PVs on building rooftops, the program has done so on garages and wastewater treatment facilities and built solar canopies in parking lots.
“Renewable power is the key to unlocking the future of our city, and we’re working hard to upgrade municipal facilities with clean energy for the betterment of our communities,” Pinnock said in the release.
The move to install solar panels at Elmhurst Hospital solidifies NYC Health + Hospitals’ commitment to decarbonize throughout the system, according to the release.
NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz called DCAS “an essential partner” that has worked closely with the healthcare system’s facilities team to see the project through to fruition. NYC Health + Hospitals has signed the White House Health Sector Climate Pledge to reduce 50% of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, Katz said in the release. As of last year, over 130 organizations have signed the pledge, introduced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in March 2023.
