Possibilities of Using Sustainable Energy Technologies including CHP Systems, Solar Photovoltaics and Heat Pumps in Hospitals

Abstract

Hospitals consume large amounts of energy in their daily operations. The necessity to comply with the global targets for climate change mitigation requires the decrease in their energy and fossil fuels consumption as well as reduction of their CO2 emissions. The aims of the current work are to study the possibilities of using several clean and low carbon emission technologies for heat, cooling and electricity generation in hospitals. The use of solar-PV panels, CHP systems and heat pumps has been examined as well as the possibility of financing these environmentally friendly energy technologies with external funding. Our results indicate that the abovementioned sustainable energy technologies are mature, reliable and cost-efficient providing heat, cooling and electricity in hospitals having also positive economic, social and environmental impacts. Their combined use with other low or zero carbon emission technologies could help in the transformation of hospital buildings to nearly zero energy buildings minimizing or zeroing their carbon footprint due to energy use. Various financial tools have been developed so far utilizing mainly private funds for financing clean energy investments in hospitals with external resources. Present work is important since it indicates that the previously mentioned sustainable energy technologies can be used in hospitals assisting in their transformation to low carbon emission organizations since in coming decades the mitigation of climate change in our societies will be necessary and crucial.