Generating 100% renewable energy on-site for seven healthcare facilities

Technical Information

The Bloom Box Beta version is a 200 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) module.  These fuel cells generate electricity via chemical reaction with natural gas or bio gas.  The inside of modules are comprised of stacks.  These stacks are multiple groupings of cathode, electrode, and anode plates.  Reformed fuel passes through the anode side while oxygen (air) passes though the cathode side.  As the chemical reaction occurs, electricity (electrons) are created.

CH4 + 2O2  CO2 + 2H20 + e- + Heat

This chemical reaction releases heat which is recycled back into the process.

The fuel cell system operates on a 24/7 basis, constantly creating electricity.  We call this a baseload offsetting system.  For most facilities, the electrical consumption during the middle of the day is generally higher than at night or the early hours in the morning.  The fuel cells were sized for the minimum base load of a facility.

Bloom Energy’s fuel cells create 100% renewable energy on site for each of the seven healthcare locations.

Environmental Attributes

Today, community demands for electricity is significantly increasing; utility companies need to procure more electricity to keep up with these demands. By providing these fuel cells, we are providing a community benefit by avoiding another plant to come online.  The seven facilities are offsetting approximately 37% up to 81% of their respective utility consumption. Our collective projects with Bloom Energy are anticipated to offset 15,008,683 lbs of CO2.

Improving energy efficiency, financed with incentives, while increasing operational efficiency

Start with Efficiency

Since 2011, Mazzetti has served as an energy efficiency consultant to this client, a premier global communications provider. This partnership started when we initially helped with selecting a controls vendor to implement the current front-end controls that had been deployed throughout their data centers across the country. These controls provide remote access for cooling system automated control as well as energy efficiency data to enable continuous commissioning of these systems.

With this background, we have continued to provide consulting for additional retrofit projects to improve cooling air delivery efficiencies by way of air containment measures and retrofitting Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units with Electronically Commutated Motor (ECM) plug fans. For these projects and the control system retrofit projects, Mazzetti secured significant utility energy efficiency incentives to offset implementation costs.

Financial Mapping

As part of financing-identified projects, we have helped the client secure over $3.2 million in utility energy efficiency incentives/rebates. Mazzetti developed custom energy models, approved by utility incentive programs, as part of securing incentives for the client.  This process has equipped Mazzetti with unique knowledge of the existing cooling systems for all of the client’s major facilities around the country.

Perhaps most significantly, Mazzetti has leveraged its intimate knowledge of the client’s cooling system operations to provide life cycle cost analysis studies of major cooling plant retrofits. The results have provided the client with the information needed to choose optimal paths for facility improvements and have identified pinch points in systems to help guide the facility on future technology deployment. These studies have led to several projects for which Mazzetti provided design services and helped support partial financing of these projects through additional utility energy efficiency incentives. By working on these projects nationwide, Mazzetti has unique knowledge of over 50 utility incentive programs across North America.

A Roadmap to the Future

Our goal is to continue working closely with the client to develop flexible options that will provide a cost efficient way to manage growth while maintaining MEP system reliability and redundancies. As we provide these services, we actively stay attuned to changes in utility incentive programs for leveraging the highest possible energy efficiency incentives/rebates available for any given project.

Developing an overarching strategic plan to reduce EUI across a building portfolio

Mazzetti worked with a large hospital system to develop an overarching strategic plan to reduce energy use intensity (EUI) across its building portfolio.

Energy Expertise Beyond the “Engineering”

Our client took a unique approach on its energy journey. While some organizations approach energy reduction by planning specific projects, this client focused on developing a comprehensive strategy to drive its energy future and plan specific projects. They chose Mazzetti for the strategic component, our strong expertise in hospital energy management and our ability to be flexible, nimble and collaborative.  For a project more akin to management consulting, Mazzetti had the engineering expertise and change agent acumen necessary to make it possible.

Establishing a Shared Vision

The client had an energy reduction goal but wanted to take a holistic approach to achieve that goal. Mazzetti and the client worked together to develop and articulate a vision, mission, and shared principles that would help drive the over-arching project.  Mazzetti helped facilitate an interactive workshop that led to articulating a vision of national healthcare energy leadership and principles (values).

Problem Orientation and Opportunity Identification

With an overarching vision, mission and principles, the client could evaluate how current ways of working aligned (or did not align) with their mission.  The client held a “focus group” to hear from their consultant community. Mazzetti led internal meetings to discern people’s understanding of their roles as they related to energy and determined structures that could best align with the organization.

Mazzetti analyzed the findings, worked with the client, and suggested governance structures and accountabilities to align strategy, operating model and execution with the new energy vision.   

Identifying Key Strategic Management Levers

Mazzetti identified strategic levers the client could use to expedite its energy future.

Finance: Mazzetti facilitated conversations to understand the client’s financial tolerance, conducting an A3 analysis (Healthcare process improvement model), and suggested viable financing options to explore expedited energy project investments.

Data: Too much data can actually be counterproductive. Mazzetti analyzed how the organization was using data and recommended ways to make the data actionable to empower people within the new operating model.

New Buildings: Mazzetti identified areas in the current building process that could be leveraged to produce energy efficient buildings.

Behavior: Mazzetti helped the client plan and take initial successful steps to reduce energy use through occupant behavioral awareness.

Leadership: Mazzetti helped the client think through and plan how it could be among local and/or national leaders in healthcare energy reduction.

Engaging leaders across the country

Mazzetti interviewed and continues to interview healthcare energy management gurus across the country to inform the solutions we provided our client. We tailored best practices to the client’s perspective.  We provide this unique perspective to all our clients.

Flexibility and nimbleness

The client’s energy strategy champion changed roles just as the project was ending and this led to other internal changes.  Portions of the strategy that were not embedded no longer had the necessary driver to get them embedded.  Mazzetti is currently working with the client to modify deliverables so that the strategy can be driven forward despite this change.

Researching plug and process loads to help generate energy cost-savings

Until recently in the conversation of a healthcare facility’s energy consumption, plug and process loads were not commonly included. Prior to 2013, the industry lacked sufficient data to justify potentially smaller power systems, thus, less energy consumption.

Mazzetti partnered with Panoramic Power as part of a collaboration supported by the Israel-US Bi-national Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation. This partnership focused on developing and testing a low-cost, nonintrusive, real-time circuit level monitoring (CLM) platform for the Healthcare sector.

STUDY HIGHLIGHTS

Results from this study indicate that power systems for plug and process loads in MOBs are typically over-designed. These results were expected as design guidelines have lacked significant quantitative research until this study. At a building level, IEEE peak design W/SF values were 175% higher than measured values, and IEEE average design values were 260% higher. At a room level, typical industry design values were found to be an average of 160% higher than measured peak loads.

Several low to no cost changes in building operations could reduce the plug and process base load. All computers monitored in the study did not enter a sleep mode or power down during weeknights or weekends, and the computers operated at a constant standby power around 40 watts. Simply modifying computer power management settings to power off during unoccupied hours (assuming 60-hour work weeks), annual electricity savings would be about 225 kWh or $30 per computer. The savings would be significant as computers are found in a majority of exam rooms, offices, nurse stations, and reception areas.

While continued research may be needed to change IEEE standards, the results from this study can be used in energy models and design rules of thumb.

BENEFITS

The analyzed benefits included:

• Three-year discounted payback on the proposed measures from energy savings, even when including the cost of the monitoring system.
• Ability to identify actual energy usage as opposed to those simulated via an energy model.
• Ability to see huge opportunity in plug load management, reducing otherwise, wasted energy usage.
• Ability to monitor equipment such as motors for fans/pumps/and compressors and scheduling preventative maintenance. This demonstrated that the monitoring system could potentially pay for itself in one year by identifying potential equipment failures before they occur.
• Technology can be used to offer continuous or monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx).
• Technology can be used to better inform facility and performance statistics & improve overall operational efficiency.

Facilitating Carbon Reporting for a Large Healthcare System

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or Assembly Bill (AB) 32 passed in CA, providing framework for carbon reporting with the intent of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. St. Joseph Health system (SJHS), with 15 campuses and 232 buildings spread across 5.5 million sf, saw an opportunity to be proactive and understand its own carbon footprint.

Collecting, Analyzing, Reporting, SAVING

Mazzetti collaborated with SJHS to collect data regarding all direct and indirect GHG emissions; analyzed GHG emissions for source and impact; reported GHG emissions to the California Climate Action Registry (one of the first healthcare organizations to do so); and assisted in obtaining certification of the measurements by an independent verifier.

Offsetting electricity expenses through solar-generated energy

Energy & Financial Efficiency

Mazzetti successfully managed the design and installation of a 20 kW solar PV plant to provide [80%] of the energy for the clinic with careful planning and precision that will help offset the astronomical cost of electricity from the utility company. Mazzetti’s Sextant Foundation provided resources—fundraising, time, and people–to support. Before the installations of the Solar Panels, La Clinica was spending more money on energy bills than on critical medications for patients. Solar power provides reliable energy, resiliency to operate after a natural disaster, reduced operating costs, improved local air quality, carbon emissions reductions, and local skills to the community to operate the new systems.

About 10 months after installation, the system had produced 26.557 kWh, resulting in:

• Saving 20 tons of CO2
• Saving $4500

What can an extra $500 a month buy? Just to put financial savings in context, $500/mo. buys:

• A doctor´s monthly salary
• A child’s participation in the clinic´s annual summer camp for children with HIV
• A sex education program administered at three different high schools
• Lab tests for 10 patients with HIV
• The monthly cost of a nutritional program for 50 malnourished clients with HIV

Community Impact

The impact is real. The nutrition program, specifically for malnourished kids with HIV, has been extremely successful. The program provides them with home visits and education for the family, in addition to pediatric visits at the clinic and monthly food packets. Mina Halpern Lozada, Executive Director at the clinic, recalled one particular seven-year-old girl who has directly benefited from the program (her identity to remain anonymous for privacy purposes).

“In just less than a year, we’ve seen her weight improve substantially. She has a lot more energy, goes to school every day and is able to participate actively… And because she has a full stomach, it is easier for her to take her HIV medication; she has become much healthier overall.”

And not only is the clinic positively impacting the local community, it’s setting a standard for other clinics in the Dominican Republic to follow, to reap similar savings to inject back into the healthcare delivery.

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Canadian media group aims for American market penetration through strategic data center purchases and upgrades

Market Penetration

This client had a clear objective–to position themselves at the forefront of the outsourced cloud computing and outsourced server management among mid-market companies. Mazzetti was able to deliver both a highly functional and sustainable design at their new data center to keep their facilities aligned with this objective. We upgraded the chilled water plant to N+1 redundancy, inclusive of new chillers and towers, plus free-cooling heat exchangers to take advantage of the dryer weather and KW footprint.

A Sustainable Facility

Chiller KW efficiencies were improved using modern chiller configurations that included VFD driven soft starts and incorporated a rapid chiller ramp up that reduced any temperature fluctuations. Chiller and condenser water pumps use bump-less HAO soft start technologies. To save on chiller run time (KW) and equipment, free Cooling was implemented that takes advantage of tower efficiencies in the Colorado dry climate. Free cooling should be available 9-10 months of the year.

N+1 upgrades and a complete building automation system overhaul were implemented to supply a fully modern experience

Technically Advanced Equipment

Reliability was key. We were tasked to reduce data center downtime in critical situations during the upgrade. Moving the data center to a N+1 redundancy increases uptime and reliability. In upgrading the legacy BAS, Mazzetti was able to promote operational efficiency by improving control system reliability, user-friendly code and modern graphics. The chiller plant upgrade added CHW flow capabilities to the adjacent data center chilled water plant. This allowed backup capabilities for the dual data center chiller plants.

Key Takeaways

The upgraded data center will leverage free-cooling heat exchangers to take advantage of the dry Colorado weather. And due to the increased energy efficiency, the owner received over $400,000 in rebates from local utility provider.

Overcoming limited resources by maximizing efficiency

This project started with a vision to create a place of healing for an island community of 2,287 inhabitants. (No prior medical center had existed on the island.) Evident in the location, this place would need to cultivate a culture of peace and serenity as a crucial part of the healing process, while minimizing impact on the already strapped island infrastructure. However, the nature of the building type presented real challenges. Overcoming these challenges, PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center (PIMC) is living that vision in Friday Harbor, WA.

The multi-building campus houses an emergency department, surgery suite, imaging, patient beds, public spaces, cancer care, and a clinic. The project was designed using Revit/BIM.

Sustainability Design on an Island

Island resources are limited, making sustainable choices vital and simple system design essential. “Doing more with less” set the tone for the project. The intent was to incorporate the community’s values into the design of the facilities, sustainability. The design team used the Living Building Challenge 2.0 as a roadmap and developed sustainable strategies through simplified systems that a single facility manager can operate.

Energy Efficiency

The Net Zero Ready facility is highlighted by a mechanical system comprised of ground source wells, water-to-water heat pumps, radiant heat, chilled beams, four pipe fan coils in the healthcare areas, and operable windows for natural ventilation in the public and clinical spaces. PIMC is achieving an average Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 87.7 kBtu/ft2 • yr (276.7 kWh/m2 • yr).

Promoting a Natural, Serene Healing Environment

The project was designed to optimize daylighting and reduce lighting loads as recommended by the daylighting studies performed by a private consultant. This facilitates a better circadian rhythm for patients and staff. The design emphasizes a visual connection to the outdoors and leverages the health benefits of biophilia – people’s biological need to connect to nature.

Awards & Accolades

Peace Island Medical Center is a 1st Place ASHRAE Technology Award Winner. ASHRAE Technology Awards recognize outstanding achievement in the design and operation of energy efficient buildings. Performance is proven through one year’s actual, verifiable operating data. Projects are judged based on the following criteria: Energy Efficiency, Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort, Innovation, Operation and Maintenance, Cost Effectiveness, and Environmental Impact.

• 2013 American Institute of Architects Healthcare Design Award Recipient for the best healthcare building design

• 2015 ASHRE Technology Award for best heating and airflow design among new hospitals.

This project instills confidence & inspires us to always push the envelope to do better, even with less.