Solar panels on 60 per cent of the roof
For all new hospitals being built in Victoria, 60 per cent of the roof space is being designed for solar panels. This involves several design considerations including roof spaces that face the right direction for maximum exposure to the sun. We’re designing areas of continuous space for the solar panels to be located. And we’re designing roof spaces that aren’t shaded by trees or other buildings and have limited building equipment spread across the roof area.
Tracking solar data
Our solar arrays are designed to generate energy and report performance data on how much electricity is being generated. In 2018-19, solar arrays on Victoria’s public hospitals generated 1.4 gigawatt-hours of electricity. In 2020-21 this increased to 9.8 gigawatt-hours – reducing carbon emissions by some 11,000 tonnes.
The Regional Health Solar Program
As well as designing new hospitals to include solar arrays, we’re also retrofitting existing hospitals roofs with solar. The $13.5 million Regional Health Solar program is a Victorian Government initiative to install solar panels on rural and regional hospital rooftops.
The program has installed solar arrays with an aggregate generating capacity of 7.5 megawatt-peak on 59 health facilities across the state. Solar arrays on a further 20 health facilities, with a capacity of 1.3 megawatt-peak, were installed and completed in 2021.
Once the program is complete, the solar panels installed are set to generate two per cent of our state-wide hospital electricity consumption. Hospital electricity costs will also be reduced, with a total estimated saving of $2.7 million in energy expenditure every year.