The largest non-profit health maintenance organization (HMO) in the country is getting into the solar game. Kaiser Permanente has announced plans to install 15 MW of solar PV arrays on their buildings throughout California, saying “what’s good for the environment is good for our health.” Hospitals, offices and other buildings will be outfitted with the arrays by next summer by solar company Recurrent Energy . Recurrent will own and operate the systems with Kaiser agreeing to purchase the power over 20 years. The solar energy generated by the installations will equal 10 percent of Kaiser’s energy usage at those facilities, getting them closer to their goal of having 25 percent of their energy come from renewable sources by 2020. Over the course of the 20-year agreement, Kaiser will pay about the same amount for the solar energy as they would for power from the grid, but if energy prices go up, the company could save quite a bit of money during that time, while cutting emissions in the process.
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Health Care Goes Solar
