Cambridge University Hospitals NHS FT has introduced new technology which chooses between solar, battery and mains energy, aiming to deliver the lowest possible carbon heating and air-conditioning for mums and babies at The Rosie hospital.
The project has so far resulted in a potential 60 per cent carbon reduction at the hospital.
Technology from the the company Arriba Technologies combines photovoltaic (solar) roof panels, cooling, heating and lithium batteries with computer-controlled electronics in a single unit – and is able to change between power sources to whichever is the most ‘free’ at the time.
The trust shared a video overview of the project on their website:
Richard Hales, Energy and Sustainability Manager at CUH, said: “Being a 24/7 major acute hospital means CUH is a very intense consumer of energy, water, goods and materials.
“Front-line patient care, and all the associated support functions and campus infrastructure mean that each day CUH consumes the same amount of gas and water as a small town, and three times as much electricity.
“Our plan is to keep refining the technology whilst replicating and scaling up across our buildings in order to decarbonise our estate. For the past decade the trust has had a rolling fund to reinvest energy savings in green infrastructure. This has allowed us (together with the decarbonisation of the national grid) to lower our on-site building carbon footprint – even though demands on the hospital have grown.
“We have made significant progress in the more conventional energy efficiency areas of lighting, heating and control systems. Our overall ambition is to become net-zero carbon by 2045, with a very challenging interim target of halving emissions in the next 10 years.”
