Wangaratta Hospital Switches On To Solar Energy Savings

Victoria’s Wangaratta Private Hospital is expecting a pretty rapid payback on its shiny new solar power system.

Wangaratta Private Hospital features a 4-bed high dependency unit, 23 medical/surgical inpatient rooms and a 6-bed rehabilitation unit. Like all hospitals large and small, electricity is a major cost for the facility; which is owned and operated by Ramsay Health Care.

A 100kW solar system recently installed on the hospital roof is expected to generate equivalent to 15% of the facility’s electricity consumption and avoid thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over its service life.

“We are really excited to be making this important switch to solar because, as a Ramsay hospital, we acknowledge that climate change is a critical issue and we’re focused on cutting our energy and water use and increasing our sustainability initiatives,” said Ramsay Health Care Chief Executive Officer Trevor Matheson.

But in addition to the environmental benefits are the energy bill savings. Mr. Matheson says the installation will save Wangaratta Private approximately $17,000 each year in electricity costs, and simple payback should be achieved in around 4 years.

Federal member for Indi Helen Haines (pictured above) – a big supporter of solar power – was present for the launch.

“I am proud to see projects like this in the electorate of Indi,” stated Ms. Haines. “We are fast becoming a leader in embracing renewables and this is just another reason why the rest of Australia is looking to Indi as an example of just what can be achieved with renewables.”

More Solar Energy To Come For Ramsay Health Care

Ramsay Australia says it is Australia’s largest private hospital operator, with 72 private hospitals and day surgery units across the country. It admits more than one million patients annually and employs more than 31,000 people. Ramsay Health Care’s wider global network covers 10 countries and has facilities in over 500 locations.

The Wangaratta Private Hospital installation appears to be one of the first for the organisation, with the first being a 100kW system at Nowra Private Hospital in New South Wales that was switched on in June. Ramsay Health Care has committed to a multi-year programme for the installation of solar panels across its hospital network.

Solar Power And Australia’s Hospitals

I’m not sure on current tallies, but in 2017-18 there were 693 public hospitals and 657 private hospitals in Australia. Given the plummeting costs of commercial solar and the large rooftop spaces often available for panels, PV is a very attractive way for hospitals to slash their emissions and energy costs.

Installations have been popping up on private and public healthcare facilities across the country thanks to various initiatives such as the NSW Health Solar Program and the Victorian Government’s Regional Health Solar Program; the latter seeing approximately 9MW of solar power capacity installed across 74 sites.

Among projects in the pipeline, Victoria’s East Grampians Health Service will have a 174kW system installed the on the roof of a new undercover car park at its Ararat campus soon. Another is a huge 364kW solar project at Derby Hospital in Western Australia, which will also include a community battery.

Trivia: As at August 31 this year, more than 2,485 small-scale solar power systems had been installed in Wangaratta postcode area 3677.