Kaiser's new $400M hospital produces its own electricity

Kaiser's new $400M hospital produces its own electricity unknown

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente's new San Marcos (Calif.) Hospital is the first in Kaiser's system to include a microgrid.

A "microgrid consists of energy generation and energy storage that can power a building, campus, or community when not connected to the electric grid, e.g. in the event of a disaster," according to the Berkeley Labs. Along with having the ability to produce its own electricity, the hospital's in-house irrigation system saves 400,000 gallons of water per month.

Electrical engineering firm Salas O'Brien installed the microgrid. The $400 million hospital has 206 beds.

San Marcos Hospital is also the first Kaiser hospital to use DC lighting on patient care floors, according to an Aug. 16 Salas O'Brien news release.

"San Marcos Medical Center sets a new standard for medical center design, proving that it is possible to be energy efficient and have a low carbon impact while continuing to deliver exceptional care in a way that is affordable and accessible to community members," Salas O'Brien Chair and CEO Darin Anderson said in the release.