Is Renewable Energy a Realistic Option for Hospitals?

A growing number of healthcare centers are shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy as
energy costs still rise and therefore the government tightens the regulations on carbon
emissions. Renewable energy refers to energy produced from natural resources including
wind, sunlight, geothermal and biomass. Hospitals use around two and one-half times the
facility consumed by the typical commercial building. They are, therefore, during a position to
save lots of more on energy costs by adopting renewable energy.

Pros of renewable energy in hospitals

Renewable energy offers tons of benefits to hospitals. aside from the very fact that it’s a
continuing source of energy, here are a number of the opposite benefits of switching
hospitals to renewable energy.

1. Reduced energy costs
   Although the initial investment costs are high, the value of operation for renewable energy is far less than that of fossil fuels once everything is in situ . That reduces the energy costs for the hospitals thus allowing them to redirect the cash to other projects like offering tuition reimbursements to employees pursuing online nursing programs.
2. Improved public health
   Non-renewable sources of energy like coal and gas are related to a spread of health
   problems including attack , neurological damage, and cancer. Replacing such sources with renewable energy will improve overall public health and reduce health costs significantly.
3. Environmental conservation
   Renewable energy features a much lower carbon footprint than fossil fuels. Additionally, it reduces depletion of natural resources since it’s produced from replenishable sources.
4. Stable energy sources
   An increase or decrease within the fossil fuels supply directly impacts inflations. the value of renewable energy only depends on the quantity of capital spent on infrastructure and not the value of natural resources. The energy prices are, therefore, stable.
   

Cons of renewable energy in hospitals

Hospitals can benefit immensely by adopting renewable energy. However, a bit like fossil
fuels, it’s its shortcomings. Here are a number of the disadvantages of switching hospitals to
renewable energy.

1.High initial investment

Setting up the infrastructure for renewable energy is often a costly investment. The prices
are exceptionally high for hospitals since they use tons of energy. As an example , tons of
solar panels would need to be installed to supply enough power to satisfy all the energy
requirements during a hospital. Some institutions may find financing a renewable energy
project difficult to try to do in-house.

2. Unable to supply enough energy

Unable to supply enough energy Renewable resources usually produce less energy during a short span compared to fossil fuels. The technology utilized in renewable energy production is comparatively new, and factors like weather may hinder large-scale energy production. That would significantly disadvantage hospitals, which have very high energy requirements