Reliable, affordable and sustainable energy – the energy trilemma – is a global issue. Within the UK, no sector is affected more than healthcare, where a stable power supply is literally a matter of life and death, where budgetary pressures are immense, and where binding net zero targets mean that sustainable energy is a strategic priority for the Estate. Alastair Morris, Chief Commercial Officer at Powerstar, explains how one South Yorkshire NHS hospital is using Battery Energy Storage (BESS) technology to balance these competing agendas.
The hospital had relied upon a traditional Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system to ensure backup power for critical care equipment in the event of power disruption. However, the Trust was aware that, in the context of the energy trilemma – soaring energy costs, the need to move to more renewable and sustainable energy sources, and the growing threat to energy security – this older technology was becoming less and less viable. Alastair explains,
“The NHS has ambitious sustainability targets – net zero by 2045 – and the issues of energy security and affordability are intertwined with this legally binding commitment to carbon neutrality. A traditional UPS suffers from significant energy losses, typically about ten percent of capacity. For an average NHS hospital, this can mean a cost of over a quarter of a million pounds from the annual budget, while adding more than 200 tonnes of CO2 to their carbon footprint – wasted energy which has a major negative impact on a Trust’s journey to net zero. Where a UPS can protect individual pieces of vital equipment it cannot operate site-wide and, with no way to monitor the state of charge of a battery, there is a risk of failure in the event of a significant power disruption. Clearly, a move to newer, more flexible and sustainable battery technology is a compelling proposition. As we face the competing agendas of the energy trilemma, balancing these issues of affordability, sustainability and energy security is critical for the NHS.”
For this project, Powerstar replaced the hospital’s existing system with a new HTM-06-01 compliant BESS, to offer area-wide support in addition to the individual, critical care equipment back-up offered by the old UPS. The new system was supplied as a fully containerised switch room, with battery energy storage and seamless, fast-switching UPS capabilities with full wraparound and static bypass. This operates with much lower losses than before, now at around one percent of total capacity. Monitoring of the new 500kW / 500kWh system demonstrates the reliability and rapid switching speed that provides the necessary security of power supply. For example, the Grid supply failed twice on one day in April and, each time, the BESS supported the full load, firstly for 15 seconds and, during the second failure, for 23 seconds – ensuring that vital equipment was seamlessly supported until normal Grid supply resumed.
As part of the new system, Demand Side Response (DSR) and Firm Frequency Response (FFR) contracts give the Trust a new revenue stream, as a BESS can store energy generated on-site, allowing for surplus energy to be sold back to the Grid, and the Trust can now provide balancing services. This can equate to around £100,000 of additional revenue for an average NHS Trust. The hospital now has a more sustainable, secure emergency UPS with storage capabilities, allowing greater flexibility for electric vehicle charging and for new income generation. For this hospital Trust, the greater energy efficiency of Powerstar’s new BESS offers annual savings of around £225,000 while also eliminating approximately 190 tonnes of CO2e.
Resolving the energy trilemma is critical for the NHS but presents a significant challenge given the scale of the organisation. Alastair concludes,
“Balancing the competing agendas of affordability, energy security and sustainability is never going to be simple for an organisation that accounts for over seven percent of the UK’s GDP and employs more than 1.3 million people. But the very size and scale of the sector means that addressing energy efficiency and carbon neutrality targets through new battery storage technology can deliver huge benefits. NHS Trusts collectively spent £500 million on gas and electricity in 2019 and confirmed spend for 2020 and 2021 will only increase, given the current climate. Steps taken by individual Trusts – where annual energy spend can be well over £10 million – to better-manage energy through BESS demonstrate clear wins. Improved efficiency, cost reductions and lower carbon emissions can all be achieved, without compromising the energy security that is paramount for the NHS.”
Download Powerstar’s new white paper, Solving the Healthcare Sector’s Energy Trilemma, here
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