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Valley Childrens Microgrid
Madera, California

Valley Children’s Healthcare Main Campus Energy Strategy and Microgrid

Healthcare | Women-Childrens | Decarbonization | Electrification
Owner Valley Children’s Healthcare
Expertise MEP Engineering, Sustainability & Resilience Consulting, Renewable Energy Development
Size Campuswide energy system
Construction Cost $30M
Certifications/Awards First net zero pediatric hospital campus in the United States

Largest renewable energy microgrid built for a hospital emergency system

Challenge

Valley Children’s Healthcare operates in California’s Central Valley, an area with high poverty, significant pollution, and growing climate threat. The campus relies on aging energy systems and faces increasing risk from outages. The organization sought a long term energy strategy that would strengthen resilience, control energy costs, and reduce carbon emissions.

Solution

VCH partnered with Mazzetti in 2021 to shape a comprehensive campuswide energy roadmap. The strategy explores new technologies, updated codes, project financing opportunities, and incentives made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act. The design moves the campus toward full electrification with a renewable energy microgrid that supports emergency operations. Mazzetti also completed a baseline Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 greenhouse gas inventory in 2024.

Outcome

The project positions VCH to become the nation’s first net zero pediatric hospital campus. Once complete, the microgrid will deliver high reliability for emergency services and reduce vulnerability to outages. The strategy also sets the foundation for long term operational savings and reduced environmental impact.

Key Features

  • Largest renewable emergency microgrid installed at a U.S. hospital
  • Strategy aligned with Inflation Reduction Act incentives
  • Full campus greenhouse gas baseline inventory completed in 2024
  • Resilience focused planning for a region with frequent outages
  • Long term path toward eliminating Scope 1 and 2 emissions

Project Team

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