Strategies for Securing Energy Supply to High-Priority Buildings during Emergencies: With Emphasis on General Hospitals

Abstract

The damages caused by natural disaster are unpredictable. It is almost out of control because its scale is entirely different from what we have experienced before. Natural disaster of climatic change is getting force. The effects of the disaster like flood block the energy supply route which is the municipal Lifeline. This is very dangerous and causes states of emergency. The blackout occurred in September 2011 showed that it causes extensive damage to the whole society. Especially important facilities like hospitals even suffer worse situations which cause casualty. This study examined, through field investigation, the actual conditions of large general hospitals’ energy consumption and the status on their establishment of emergency power systems. Based on such investigation, analysis was made of the ways to establish emergency power systems capable of maintaining properly the functioning of hospital buildings and providing effective response during massive blackout.