Kaiser Permanente has contracted with NRG Renew to install as much as 70 MW of on-site solar at Kaiser facilities in California. The company says it wants to achieve the top ranking for on-site installed solar capacity among US healthcare companies.
NRG Renew will implement a single-brand, multi-site distributed solar program at as many as 170 sites, which will include medical offices, hospitals, clinics, data centers and other Kaiser Permanente facilities.
Solar photovoltaic arrays will be constructed and integrated primarily on carports and parking structures, providing shade from the California sun to more than 20,000 parking spots. Utilizing parking structures to harness solar energy not only shades cars and capitalizes on existing real estate, but it also reduces the heat-island effect in cities. However, according to truSolar, which assess the financial risks of solar PV projects, solar carports are the most expensive type of system to build.
Electricity generated by the solar installations will be sold to Kaiser Permanente under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), offsetting each facility’s use of grid power. The combined installations are expected to offset 6-8 percent of Kaiser Permanente’s load throughout the state.
National commercial real estate investment management company Jones Lang LaSalle was engaged as Kaiser Permanente’s client advocate for the project.
