sustainability
Article
Healthy Power: Reimagining Hospitals as
Sustainable Energy Hubs
Nicholas Gurieff 1,2, * , Donna Green 2,3 , Ilpo Koskinen 2,4 , Mathew Lipson 2,5 ,
Mark Baldry 6 , Andrew Maddocks 1 , Chris Menictas 7 , Jens Noack 8 , Behdad Moghtaderi 1
and Elham Doroodchi 9
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9
*
Priority Research Centre for Frontier Energy Technologies & Utilisation, University of Newcastle,
Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia;
[email protected] (A.M.);
[email protected] (B.M.)
Digital Grid Futures Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;
[email protected] (D.G.);
[email protected] (I.K.);
[email protected] (M.L.)
Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Design Next, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, University of New South Wales,
Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
School of Biomedical Engineering and School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;
[email protected]
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney,
NSW 2052, Australia;
[email protected]
Applied Electrochemistry, Fraunhofer-Institute for Chemical Technology, 76327 Pfinztal, Germany;
[email protected]
Centre for Advanced Energy Integration, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia;
[email protected]
Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +61-2-40339611
Received: 21 September 2020; Accepted: 13 October 2020; Published: 16 October 2020
Abstract: Human health is a key pillar of modern conceptions of sustainability. Humanity pays a
considerable price for its dependence on fossil-fueled energy systems, which must be addressed
for sustainable urban development. Public hospitals are focal points for communities and have
an opportunity to lead the transition to renewable energy. We have reimagined the healthcare
energy ecosystem with sustainable technologies to transform hospitals into networked clean energy
hubs. In this concept design, hydrogen is used to couple energy with other on-site medical resource
demands, and vanadium flow battery technology is used to engage the public with energy systems.
This multi-generation system would reduce harmful emissions while providing reliable services,
tackling the linked issues of human and environmental health.
Keywords: energy transitions; hydrogen; energy storage; vanadium; flow battery; industrial ecology;
co-benefits; multi-generation; power-to-X; energy networks
1. Introduction: Health and Energy
The energy systems most modern economies rely on are outmoded and unhealthy, which has
multiple significant negative impacts. In addition to anthropogenic climate change caused by
greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen and sulfur oxides and carbon particulates damage ecosystems
and are harmful to human health. Excess mortality from outdoor air pollution due to fossil fuel use is
estimated at four million people per year [1]. The economic costs of this air pollution were estimated
at USD 2.9 trillion, or over three percent of global GDP in 2018 [2].
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Discussion of the relationship between climate change and health is increasing, most recently as the
COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted improvements in air quality from reductions in human activity.
Addressing this issue more permanently is a challenge; however, it is not a wicked problem as solutions
can be mutually beneficial. Tackling the climate emergency goes hand-in-hand with improving public
health outcomes by reducing harmful air pollution and developing a circular economy based on
renewable energy ecosystems. Hakovirta and Denuwara now suggest ‘sustainability’ be redefined
as “the intersection of the economy, environment, society and human health” [3]. The link to health
represents an opportunity to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, not least because the health
system itself is in a unique position to lead.
Doctors have had considerable success framing this health-related sustainability challenge,
raising awareness of the considerable price that humanity pays for an energy ecosystem that relies
on fossil fuels [4]. The Sustainable Development Unit of the UK National Health Service (NHS)
was established in 2008, and the NHS has since reduced its carbon footprint by 19 percent over the
10 year period to 2018 [5]. Analysis of these efforts was published in The British Medical Journal [6].
Other prestigious medical journals have been amplifying calls to action, with editorials published in
The Lancet [7], The New England Journal of Medicine [8] and The Medical Journal of Australia [9].
These efforts are critical because the health sector has a significant environmental footprint.
In Australia, health care represented seven percent of Australia’s carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions
in 2014–2015, with over one third of that attributable to public hospitals [10]. Leadership here can
have a more pervasive impact since public perception of technology and its safety is important for its
acceptance and deployment [11,12]. Doctors and scientists are the two most trusted professions [13],
and so have a vital role to play in driving the innovative and creative thinking that will move past just
efficiency and recycling to deliver whole system sustainable health services [14].
Systems thinking research supports the concepts of industrial ecology and social ecology that
acknowledge connections between organizations and society and the importance of this for driving
long-term change [15]. Collective visions of promising techno-scientific futures can legitimize
investments and transcend uncertainty [16]. Public energy installations and community energy
services are already being used for community interaction with new energy technologies [17,18].
Communities have shown a willingness to invest directly in renewable energy installations and there
is interest and receptivity of these installations specifically in the hospital context [19].
Hospitals, as critical and major piece of publicly funded infrastructure, are an excellent case
study for energy ecosystems. A hospital is not simply an energy user, it is a community and industry
hub. Hospitals are regarded as safe havens, resilient facilities for disaster and emergencies [20].
Large numbers of staff and public use them daily and on-site parking is necessary for patients, staff and
for ambulances, as well as commercial delivery vehicles. The hospital facility itself requires extremely
secure sources of heat and power, oxygen and water.
Using data from the NHS, heat and power accounted for only 17 percent of the carbon footprint
of UK hospitals in 2017 [21]. Supply chain and services accounted for 54 percent, while travel and
transport, including staff commuting, accounted for 16 percent. Manufactured fuels, chemicals and
gases represented another four percent. This presents an opportunity to consider this power and
resource demand holistically.
In Australia, backup power supply for hospitals has been identified as a government priority
for projects to drive innovation and demonstrate capability [22]. Renewable technologies can do
more than provide backup power, however—they can play a critical role in reimagining a sustainable
energy ecosystem. Integrating production and storage solutions in distributed systems presents an
opportunity to optimize hybrid systems including the use of hydrogen and batteries [23].
The following multi-generation design concept shows how we envision that sustainable energy
technologies can transform a hospital from a resource sink to the centerpiece of a new reliable and
healthy energy ecosystem. We assess relevant technologies and integrate them for a hypothetical
hospital in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. This located approach provides some grounding for
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the design and discussion, though we note the same approach is widely applicable and we aim to
inspire similar developments elsewhere.
2. Materials and Methods: Technology Assessment and Design Approach
There are a range of technologies available to fulfill the multitude of resource requirements of
a hospital. Presented here is a selection of technologies available to supply reliable power and the
other associated needs for this healthcare system. We frame the design research to revolve around
three key atoms: hydrogen, oxygen and carbon. The strengths, weaknesses and potential co-benefits of
the individual technologies are discussed and summarized. This assessment is then used to develop
sustainable hospital power system concepts through multidisciplinary design that simultaneously
responds to carbon emissions, health impacts and material sustainability.
2.1. Power Generation
2.1.1. Diesel Combustion
Coal has been the mainstay for the supply of power since the first Industrial Revolution, powering
centralized electricity grids. Oil helped power the second Industrial Revolution, and a typical hospital
relies on diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) generators for emergency power as shown in Figure 1.
These stand-by engines are not designed to run for extended periods and so remain idle for most of
their life. When the added burden of maintenance is considered, this is an expensive means of meeting
mandated requirements.
Figure 1. Conventional system with diesel backup during normal operation.
2.1.2. Gas Combustion
Co-generation or tri-generation captures thermal energy from combustion that would otherwise
be wasted and deploys it for heating and cooling using absorption chillers. As hospitals have balanced
power requirements and their heat requirements do not typically exceed the temperature for steam
sterilization (below 160 ◦ C), they make ideal candidates for using combined heat and power systems
(CHP) [24]. This opportunity was identified more than a decade ago [25] and many hospitals have used
this opportunity to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs and reduce emissions [26]. Hospital CHP
installations use engines or gas turbines burning natural gas from existing networks as shown in
Figure 2. This is an improvement on coal-fired power, though these systems still produce air pollution.
Figure 2. Combined heat and power system connected to both gas and electricity networks.
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2.1.3. Fuel Cells
Commercial solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) units in operation today generally include integrated
steam methane reforming (SMR) equipment to use natural gas as a fuel source, which is broken apart
to extract hydrogen. The high operating temperature and water ‘exhaust’ from the hydrogen fuel cell
make this combination efficient and well suited for CHP systems. An advantage of this approach
compared to simply burning the natural gas in an engine or turbine is the near complete elimination of
harmful air pollutants (NOx , SOx and particulates).
Another fuel cell technology is the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), the twin of
a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer which applies the same principles but in reverse.
The conversion process is shown in Figure 3. In a fuel cell, molecular hydrogen is recombined
with oxygen from the air to recover stored potential energy. The only emission from this process is
water. The round-trip efficiency of an electrolyzer and fuel cell system is low compared to a battery;
however, hydrogen can be transported more readily so is more appropriate for extended duration
emergency power.
Figure 3. Simplified schematics of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer cell and a proton
exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) during operation, showing hydrogen and electron flows.
2.1.4. Renewable Energy Technologies
Renewable energy technologies integrated with digital grids are the new paradigm for
electricity networks. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have become ubiquitous around the world
and, accompanied by on- and off-shore wind turbines, are driving the transition to distributed
non-fossil fuel based energy. Due to their solid-state nature, they require limited maintenance over
their 25-year life, and economies of scale have resulted in spectacular cost reductions in recent years,
which is continuing for large installations.
Despite the potential for large hospitals, only 13 of the 695 public and 497 private hospitals in
Australia have been identified as having installed mid-scale solar PV systems [27]. An industrial
850-kW rooftop solar installation for a hospital in New South Wales (NSW) can be expected to achieve
a capacity factor of 17 percent [27]. High-quality large-scale renewable resources in Australia supplied
through the grid can increase capacity to 30 percent and 45 percent for solar and wind, respectively [28].
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2.1.5. Comparison of Technologies
A comparison of renewables and the other power generation technologies discussed above is
summarized in Table 1. Fuel cells and renewables present an opportunity to reduce emissions with
flexible technology where energy can be stored and the value of co-benefits can be realized.
Table 1.
Energy generation technologies for healthcare and their strengths, weaknesses
and opportunities.
Technology
Strengths
Weakness
Opportunities
Diesel combustion
Well understood and
easily refueled
Expensive and polluting
Existing system
Gas combustion
High energy efficiency
Polluting
Existing system
Hydrogen fuel cell
Clean and can be refueled
Expensive for
conventional backup
Fuel flexibility
Renewables
Sustainable and scalable
Variable output
requires storage
Low marginal
cost power
2.2. Energy Storage
That you cannot turn on and off variable renewable energy (VRE) generators at will as you can
with fossil fuel combustion generation is not always a weakness; the low marginal cost of renewable
power is an opportunity to be creatively used in a symbiotic energy ecosystem.
2.2.1. Hydrogen
One of the greatest opportunities from low-cost renewable electricity technologies is to produce
renewable hydrogen from water. PEM electrolyzers are now emerging as a preferred technology for
this opportunity. The key advantage to PEM is their flexibility—PEM electrolyzers can accept partial,
dynamic loads and are available from kW to MW scale. The technology functions by applying a current
across a cell with two halves separated by a selective polymer that allows only hydrogen to move
between the two, as shown in Figure 3. Water is fed into one side and the electrical energy splits the
liquid into gaseous oxygen and hydrogen that can be collected and used in a range of applications.
Hydrogen is a good candidate for long-term energy storage to meet emergency requirements and
the seasonal variation in energy demand which occurs in hospitals [29] and energy networks. There are
many ways to store hydrogen, the most mature forms being as a compressed gas in high-pressure tanks
and as a cryogenic liquid in insulated low-pressure vessels. Either of these storage systems can be
situated on-site as stationary installations or mounted on truck trailers or rail cars. Solid-state hydrogen
storage is an alternative with the potential for much greater energy density and it is now being
demonstrated at scale [30]. Hydrogen can also be blended into the natural gas network, which will
have a role to play in areas where it currently exists as complete fuel switching from gas to electricity is
likely to cost more than rethinking existing infrastructure [31].
2.2.2. Flow Batteries
Carbon-free hydrogen gas production is extremely flexible; however, inherent energy losses mean
it is not always the most efficient means of providing secure and reliable power from renewable energy
technologies [32]. Batteries have a significant role to play, although there are serious sustainability
concerns for the widespread adoption of lithium batteries [33,34]. Large-scale deployment of this
incumbent technology will face battery materials constraints in a global-scale energy transition [35].
There are other battery technologies suitable for grid-scale energy storage, such as the vanadium redox
flow battery (VRB/VRFB).
VRBs are a hybrid between fuel cell and conventional battery technology. Energy is stored in
liquid electrolyte tanks for power conversion in cell stacks that operate in a similar manner to a fuel
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cell. The power is stored (or recovered) from the change in state of vanadium ions in an aqueous
sulfuric acid solution which changes color based on its state of charge. Figure 4 provides a simplified
visual explanation of this process. By separating power (kW/MW) from energy storage (kWh/MWh),
a VRB system is highly scalable and can readily be configured to suit the needs of the application.
Figure 4. Simplified schematics of a vanadium redox flow cell during charge and discharge showing
electrolyte color change with hydrogen and electron flows.
The aqueous electrolyte is non-flammable by nature, eliminating the potential fire safety hazard
of lithium batteries. The reduced fire risk means these systems are more suitable for enclosed spaces,
such as underground car parks. Electrolyte contamination is eliminated because the electrolyte is the
same on both sides of the system, giving VRBs a long lifetime (>25 years) with low capacity fade.
All-vanadium batteries’ tolerance for practically unlimited charge–discharge cycles over their lifetime
makes the technology ideal for high-use applications, such as supporting renewables and electric
vehicles. The valuable vanadium in the electrolyte can be easily recovered for use in a new battery
system or other applications. The balance of material is predominately carbon, metals and polymers
that can also be recovered and recycled at end of life [36].
2.2.3. Hybrid Batteries
The ubiquitous lead-acid battery (LAB) has no moving parts and is the standard for uninterruptible
power supplies (UPS). The conventional format of this technology, however, is not well suited to new
power demands. Hybrid battery installations are being used to take advantage of the strengths of
different technologies [37]. Pairing battery components with integrated supercapacitors creates new
opportunities for mature LAB technology by improving its peak power capacity.
This hybrid technology was invented by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation (CSIRO) and commercially acquired in 2010. It has since been deployed for a
range of kW- and MW-scale storage applications. Similar to vanadium-sulfuric acid electrolyte flow
batteries, hybrid lead-sulfuric acid batteries are almost completely recyclable. The Environmental
Protection Agency in the United States found that lead-acid batteries are consistently one of the most
recycled products [38]. This and the other energy storage technologies discussed above are summarized
in Table 2 below.
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Table 2. Storage technologies for healthcare and their key strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
Technology
Strengths
Weakness
Opportunities
Hydrogen electrolysis
Sustainable and flexible
Expensive when
considered alone
Oxygen supply and
demand management
Lithium-ion battery
High power density
Sustainability concerns
and limited storage
Electricity
network support
Lead-acid hybrid
battery
Readily recyclable and
high peak power
Limited storage capacity
Electricity
network support
Vanadium flow battery
Recyclable, stable and
non-flammable
Low power and energy
density
Electricity network and
electric vehicle support
2.3. Related Technologies and Resource Considerations
In addition to being a facility with heat and power demands, healthcare requires disinfectant and
oxygen, and a hospital precinct is also a transport hub. Technologies related to energy generation and
storage can help meet these additional sustainability challenges and realize the associated opportunities.
2.3.1. Transport
Society is transitioning away from fossil-fueled passenger cars and commercial vehicles to the use
of electric vehicles (EVs). If managed poorly, charging battery electric vehicles (BEVs) could strain
electricity grids [39]. Smart charging can reduce this impact by creating a large demand response
capability. One step further is vehicle-to-grid (VtG/V2G) technology which allows BEVs or fuel cell
electric vehicles (FCEVs) with hydrogen to act as networked energy storage devices [40]. In this way,
an EV fleet can become a virtual power plant (VPP) that is profitable to owners and beneficial for
power networks [41]. The potential to support system security [42] is driving trials with government
fleets [43]. Fleet operators are one of the main stakeholders driving the electric vehicle market [44]
which is an opportunity for health services looking to reduce air pollution with more environmentally
friendly vehicles [45].
2.3.2. Oxygen
Non-energetic gas demands are an important component of energy transitions [46,47]. Oxygen is
critical for health care and has been in short supply in some regions during the coronavirus pandemic
in 2020 [48]. Hospitals commonly procure oxygen in bulk from suppliers as a compressed gas or as
a cryogenic liquid, which is produced on a commercial scale through liquefaction and distillation.
Oxygen is sold at a premium to the health sector, so generating it locally could save costs [49].
On-site production using compressed air with pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen concentrators
(OCs) has been found to reduce costs for hospitals [50]. High-quality medical grade 99.5% purity
oxygen can be supplied from water as a by-product of producing hydrogen with electrolysis. Using this
oxygen stream from renewable hydrogen in a multi-generation system can help support a new
hydrogen economy.
2.3.3. Water
Water use is one of the more significant aspects of sustainability management considered by the
health sector, so it is important that water use issues are not exacerbated when designing a sustainable
energy ecosystem [51]. To close the hydrogen water cycle loop, it is necessary to consider the water
supply for electrolysis. This is commonly expected to be obtained through the desalination of seawater,
which will thus be an important component of renewable energy networks [47]. Alternatively, water can
be drawn from the air using an atmospheric water generator (AWG). These adsorption-based devices
can utilize thermal energy from solar or waste heat even in arid climates [52]. The other advantage is
that the water they produce is of high purity, reducing the need for purification for electrolysis [53].
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2.3.4. Disinfectant
Hydrogen peroxide is widely used in hospitals for disinfection and has been in particularly high
demand during the COVID-19 pandemic [54,55]. The majority of hydrogen peroxide is produced using
the industrial anthraquinone process, which is only viable at a large scale. Issues relating to highly
concentrated solutions and concerns about this process from a green chemistry perspective have led
to considerable interest in alternative means of supplying hydrogen peroxide [56]. Local production
of dilute hydrogen peroxide reduces waste products and the risks associated with transporting and
storing high concentrations in bulk [57].
Processes have been developed for direct production of hydrogen peroxide from hydrogen and
oxygen [58] or from water and oxygen [59]. Convergent PEM electrochemical synthesis uses water and
oxygen as inputs to a fuel cell and produces dilute hydrogen peroxide. This approach is particularly
promising in a hospital context if oxygen is made readily available using on-site production for
medical use. Other electrochemical synthesis processes are under development for on-site production
of hydrogen peroxide along with other useful products, such as ozone [60], hydrogen [61,62] and
oxygen [63].
2.4. Design Approach
A full engineering design study would be necessary for any specific site; however, it is informative
to explore system-level constraints and capabilities, which is the approach we have taken in this
conceptual research.
2.4.1. Regulation Constraints
Regulations relating to hospital power have been considered in our conceptual scenario of a
multi-generation health precinct. Standards vary at the intra- and inter-national scale. For example,
in the US, the updated code NFPA 99 allows for fuel cell systems as alternate sources of power
since 2015 [64]. The code also now allows for oxygen concentrators as central supply sources for
hospital medical oxygen systems, which could be integrated to support on-site production from
electrolysis. Returning to the Australian context, the relevant standard for emergency power supplies
in hospitals from 1998 (AS/NZS 3009:1998) states the power source may be provided by central battery
systems, provided they are of a type specifically designed for continuous float charging conditions [65].
Lead-acid batteries meet this criterion but others do not, despite alternative battery technologies and
contemporary digital battery management systems.
The N + 1 supply configuration is a commonly accepted practice that shapes the design of
emergency power systems, including those for hospitals [66] in NSW [20], to ensure enough redundancy
is built in to ensure a highly resilient system. This means building in one additional piece of key
equipment than is strictly required, so that one sub-system can fail and operations can continue.
Providing capacity modularity to meet an N + 1 guideline is straightforward with battery packs and
fuel cells stacks; the most critical point of failure would relate to the inverter. The need for multiple
inverters can be seen as a prohibitive cost or as an opportunity to install valuable assets able to provide
ancillary services to electricity networks [67]. Demonstrations of the ability to replace the mechanical
inertia of conventional power plants with battery-powered digital inertia are underway [68].
2.4.2. Specification Constraints
The ongoing trend towards modularity facilitated by batteries and other clean technology in the
energy sector brings flexibility to concept design which can be readily adjusted for specific requirements
and translated to different sites. To provide an accessible example, we present a design concept for a
hypothetical 550-bed hospital for a small city such as Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
We consider average energy demand, assumed to be 41 MWh per day based on an annual average
of 27 MWh per bed [69]. Total energy use consists of electrical and thermal demands which will vary
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based on climate and facilities. Using an average value from previous studies, it is assumed here
that 49 percent of the total energy use is electrical demand and the remainder is thermal [24,29,69,70].
There are analytical data available for medical oxygen in hospitals [49] and the demand for this scale is
assumed to be 708 kg per day.
2.4.3. Design Goals
The key constraints discussed above are:
•
•
•
•
•
41 MWh per day total average energy demand.
49 percent of total demand is electrical energy.
708 kg per day of medical oxygen.
Uninterruptible power supply with N + 1 redundancy.
Battery systems designed for continuous float charging.
Meeting hospital demands sustainably within these constraints is the goal of our design work
presented below. Re-imagining a healthcare precinct as a renewable energy hub in this way uses public
infrastructure to build resilience, improve public health and accelerate the energy transition.
3. Results and Discussion: Design Specification for Hospital Renewable Energy Ecosystem
We re-imagined a multi-generation energy system for a sustainable hospital precinct that integrates
renewable hydrogen and battery energy technologies to reduce harmful emissions while supporting
reliable operations. To present the integrated systems, we break down the concept design into two
sections. The first replaces fossil fuel combustion with fuel cells and batteries for reliable power with
redundancy. The second broadens the scope, presenting a networked multi-generation system to
sustainably provide other resources in addition to heat and power for deep decarbonization.
3.1. Replacing Engines and Turbines
In this case, we consider only the requirement for electrical power. The conventional generator
setup could be replaced by a hydrogen fuel cell with storage to meet the set number of hours for the
given location. This would take the form of a hybrid energy storage system with a battery, as shown in
Figure 5.
Figure 5. Electrical backup system with hydrogen fuel cells during emergency operation.
This energy storage system for emergency power could consist of 1.5 h in lead to comply with
AS/NZS 3009 and 24 h in hydrogen. If the system is configured with a suitable amount of spare capacity,
this secondary power supply need not be reserved solely for emergencies. The hybrid supercapacitor
technology broadens the usefulness of the lead-acid battery cells, and additional flexible capacity can
be added with VRBs.
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Starting with the fuel cell backup, six containerized 200-kW units [71] would provide 1.2 MW
of power to meet the N + 1 redundancy guideline for an additional unit. 24 h storage would require
850 kg of hydrogen, which could be replenished by a high capacity 300-bar truck trailer. This could
be stored on site at 165 bar in approximately 40 tubes with mature technology, or two of the type of
containerized solid state 17-MWh units planned for demonstration in Australia [30].
Three commercially available containerized hybrid lead-acid battery units would provide 2.5 MW
of peak power with 1.5 MWh of storage [72] to meet a 1.5-h specification for tertiary power supply.
An emergency capacity of 2.4 MWh exceeds this by almost 90 percent, meeting the AS/NZS required
margin of 1.33 times minimum capacity at install. This also meets the N + 1 redundancy guideline,
as two of three units could meet the demand if required.
A vanadium battery secondary supply could consist of four containerized 250-kW units, with a
range of capacity options [73]. In a three-hour configuration, this would translate to 3 MWh of
capacity and 1 MW of nominal power. This could provide a limited secondary power supply alone,
whilst together it could contribute to electricity system security and reliability. For BEVs, this could
support up to 100 vehicles with 10-kW vehicle-to-grid connections.
An alternative to this setup is a CHP installation which is typically matched to the heat demand.
Two containerized SOFC units would deliver 880 kW of power and 900 kW of heat [74]. Heat pumps,
boilers and chillers would support the tri-generation system to reliably meet the variable thermal
demands of the facility. In this scenario, a gas-fueled CHP system can be the normal supply, and the
electricity grid the backup.
Batteries and stored hydrogen are still desirable for a system like this, connected to both gas and
electricity networks, providing greater redundancy whilst making a larger contribution to network
security and reliability. Twenty four hours of storage is suitable for VRE penetration of 90 percent [75]
and building this in to provide reserves will help deliver fast-responding power assets in the grid that
are missing incentives [76]. To achieve the full potential of this approach, though, hydrogen should be
enabled to act as a two-way resource as with the battery system.
3.2. Multi-Generation for Coupled Power and Resources
Smart energy networks (SNE) integrate electricity, gas and heat under common Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) with power-to-gas technology (PtG) [77]. An 850-kW rooftop solar
installation generating 3.5 MWh per day for an electrolyzer system of five 30-Nm3 /h units would be
expected to produce 54 kg of hydrogen per day [78]. Two tonnes of adsorption material (sorbent) in
an AWG system could be used to capture the approximately 500 L per day of water required for this
electrolysis [52].
Theoretically, this size system could also produce 427 kg of oxygen per day, enough for
approximately 45 medium-concentration oxygen therapy devices or 60 percent of the anticipated
demand. Low-cost energy from grid connected solar or wind during periods of excess supply could
power additional electrolysis to increase this to 80 or 120 percent of the demand. Efficient on-site
oxygen concentrators could fill any supply gaps with cylinder backup [50]. Excess oxygen can feed
hydrogen peroxide synthesis for disinfectant supply, as discussed in Section 2.
Excess hydrogen surplus to the hospital’s energy storage requirements could be fed into the gas
network. Existing methane infrastructure could accept up to 10 or 20 percent hydrogen [79,80], or more
as synthetic methane after being combined with carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere [81].
Hydrogen could, alternatively, replace natural gas altogether. In addition to its use as fuel for electricity
generation, hydrogen can be used in industry as a chemical feedstock and to supplement thermal
energy primarily provided by heat pumps.
Hydrogen could also be used for vehicles, either in its pure molecular form for cars and commercial
vehicles or as a feedstock for synthetic fuel [82] to support aeromedical services. A hospital campus of
this size may have thousands of parking spaces [83]. Just 50 medium size EVs represent over 3 MWh of
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energy storage and at least 500 kW of two-way power with vehicle-to-grid connections. Covering the
car park with solar PVs could provide a much larger on-site solar precinct.
Figure 6 shows how all these systems interact to meet hospital requirements. In addition to
redundancy, all these systems would be backed up independently from an infrastructure network
and/or by road transport.
Figure 6. Multi-generation hospital precinct energy system concept diagram, with energy and resource
flows for coupled energy and resource demands.
This high-level system design meets the goals outlined in Section 2.4 of this article, namely
‘sustainably provisioning for reliable on-site power requirements to improve outcomes for the
community’. Future work would need to examine specific site requirements in more detail. This would
include techno-economic optimization of system components and could also explore other opportunities,
such as wastewater treatment and mobile installations for field hospitals. Detailed engineering
design would consider other applicable standards and regulation, including the location of gas
storage. Hydrogen is not inherently more hazardous than conventional fuels but it must be managed
appropriately [84–86]. The positioning of technology in this hybrid clean energy system presents an
opportunity to engage the public with the vision presented here, particularly with less well known
vanadium systems.
3.3. Illustration of Multi-Generation Hospital Precinct Energy System
Systems in plant equipment rooms and back-of-house containerized solutions provide large
energy solutions; however, there is something to be gained from visible systems. A public installation
could provide science education and potentially a useful distraction and on-site exhibition to the
hospital patients and visitors. A dilute vanadium electrolyte solution or another water-based system
with lighting would display the state of the energy system. Air or an inert gas, such as nitrogen,
bubbled through the solution would simultaneously represent hydrogen and oxygen gas production
from electrolysis. Battery modules, in a design suggestive of common household batteries [87],
installed in locations such as car parks where solar PV panels are visible [88] would highlight the
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benefits of EV-to-grid technology for the hospital and the public. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate this
design concept.
Figure 7. Illustration of hospital concept with on-site generation and storage connected to gas (red)
and electricity (blue) networks. Color-changing vanadium flow battery installations are used to engage
the public with the energy systems, shown here in the green and blue of V3+ and V4+ .
Figure 8. Model rendering of concept hospital powered by coupled on-site renewable multi-generation
and storage connected to gas (red) and electricity (blue) networks. Electrolysis produces hydrogen
for fuel cells and oxygen for medical demands while batteries support electric vehicles and provide
uninterruptible power for critical loads.
4. Conclusions: A New Energy Ecosystem
We have re-imagined healthcare precincts and presented a design concept for a hospital as a
flagship community energy hub where sustainable networks are coupled with medical requirements.
Sustainability 2020, 12, 8554
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This design shows how versatile and scalable exchange membrane cell systems, including flow
batteries and fuel cells, replace combustion to meet emergency power requirements and improve
resource security. Battery inverters help manage grid power quality while solar powered electrolysis
supports medical oxygen requirements and feeds hydrogen into decarbonized gas pipelines. Fleet,
staff and public transport become an asset with electric vehicle-to-grid integration. Visible vanadium
electrolyte and modular battery systems are also used to engage the community with this energy
system to help drive the energy transition. Together, this provides a vision for healthy power to help
redefine sustainability.
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, N.G., D.G., I.K., A.M., C.M., J.N., B.M. and E.D.; Funding acquisition,
N.G., D.G., I.K. and B.M.; Investigation, N.G. and M.B.; Methodology, N.G., D.G., I.K. and M.L.; Project
administration, N.G., D.G. and I.K.; Supervision, D.G., I.K., B.M. and E.D.; Visualization, N.G.; Writing—original
draft, N.G., D.G. and M.B.; Writing—review and editing, D.G., I.K., M.L., M.B., A.M., C.M., J.N., B.M. and E.D.
All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This research was supported by funding from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Digital Grid
Futures Institute, UNSW, Sydney, under a cross-disciplinary fund scheme. The views expressed herein are those
of the authors and are not necessarily those of the institute.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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