An Exploratory Study on Renewable Energy at Philippine General Hospital

Abstract

Energy use in hospitals is typically very high due to load requirements of critical equipment and machinery tied to life-saving patient care. Hospitals located in cities like Manila, Philippines receive energy from unreliable electricity grids that primarily use fossil fuels and often experience brownouts, necessitating the need for diesel backup generators to stabilize their electrical supply. This study assessed Philippine General Hospital's opportunities to not only transition to renewable energy, but also increase energy efficiency to decrease the reliance on Manila's electrical grid and decrease their total energy costs. An analysis proved that Philippine General Hospital could achieve these goals through the installation of a solar array and a lighting retrofit. The analysis showed that instituting an LED lightbulb retrofit alone would result in a yearly seven percent decrease in electricity consumption and total of PHP 458,869,500 (almost $9 million) cost savings over an 8-year period. A ten-year net present value (NPV) analysis showed that the five differently sized solar installation scenarios would all result in a net negative value, and all net positive values over a 25-year term. This means that Philippine General Hospital would see cost savings that could be applied to increasing patient care and overall quality of facilities.