Healthcare provider prescribes green energy

One of the largest not-for-profit healthcare providers in the US has announced it is investing in renewable energy projects. Kaiser Permanente aims to generate as much as half of the […]

One of the largest not-for-profit healthcare providers in the US has announced it is investing in renewable energy projects.

Kaiser Permanente aims to generate as much as half of the electricity it uses in California from green energy sources.

It will buy power from a 110MW solar plant in Riverside County and a 43MW wind farm located in Alameda County.

They will generate 590 million kWh of electricity – enough to power more than 82,000 homes.

With 38 hospitals, more than 600 medical offices and additional warehouses, Kaiser Permanente uses nearly 1.5 billion kWh of electricity and emits 806,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

It has set a target of cutting emissions by 30% by 2020.

Chief Energy Officer Rame Hemstreet said: “The energy we use to run our medical centres and other buildings produces the majority of our greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing fossil fuels as an energy source with green power is the most important action we can take to address the impacts of climate change on health and to reduce pollutants that can lead to disease.”

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