# We should put solar panels on hospital rooftops **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 10, 2015, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065 "2015-12-10T13:19:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/21 "2015-12-11T15:39:58Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > A lot of good would come from this. I am not saying hospitals should be solar only, just that they should have it as a supplement. We can lower the cost of healthcare and improve the environment and energy independence in one fell swoop! If this is such a good idea, why limit it to hospital roofs? Why not schools, libraries, government buildings, post offices, etc.? Most of these buildings use the majority of their energy during the daylight hours, and generally don’t require 24 hour emergency backup. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/22 "2015-12-11T17:49:53Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > > [@CarnalK](#): > > > > I don’t see why hospitals are a particularly good target for solar power compared to any other building. If we want to attach alternative energy to any project it should be driven by usefulness not flavour of the month. I weep at all the solar farms being put up in Ontario. 4 months of the year there isn’t enough sunlight to produce vitamin D let alone power a house. > > I assume because they are one of the few places that need backup generators on standby at all times. Offsetting some of that with solar seems like it might be a good idea. The power needs at a hospital are enormous, and the amount of power that the solar panels can provide isn’t enough to be worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/23 "2015-12-11T18:10:39Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I assume because they are one of the few places that need backup generators on standby at all times. Offsetting some of that with solar seems like it might be a good idea. In my experience, power outages are most common on dark and stormy nights, less common on dark and stormy days, and very rare on bright sunny days. But then I don’t live in the sunbelt- maybe it’s different there. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/24 "2015-12-11T18:20:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The power needs at a hospital are enormous, and the amount of power that the solar panels can provide isn’t enough to be worthwhile. I would agree. Generally they are going to need a substantial generator on site. Adding in a solar-battery setup is not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/25 "2015-12-11T18:38:14Z")
If hospitals want solar panels they can pt them up, I don’t think anything is stopping them. When you say ‘We should put solar panels on hospital rooftops’ I think ‘Why the hell should I pay for infrastructure improvements for a for profit hospital?’ ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/26 "2015-12-11T19:37:04Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I would agree. Generally they are going to need a substantial generator on site. Adding in a solar-battery setup is not worth it. I would imagine that a hospital’s backup generator is sized for just what the hospital absolutely needs in an emergency. If you’re running on the backup, elective surgeries would be postponed, televisions turned off, lighting dimmed, etc. If they installed solar panels they’d still need exactly the same backup system in case the grid went down at night. On the other hand, there’s nothing about a hospital that disqualifies it from using solar panels either. The places that install them are doing it because it makes economic sense; the panels will generate enough power, and save a corresponding amount on energy bills, to pay for their installation and upkeep. If that works for a grocery store, it could work for a hospital, too. I think the key factors are the space available (grocery stores have big roofs, schools have big parking lots) so you can install lots of panels, and what you pay for electricity from the grid (places that need power during peak times will pay more for it, meaning the panels recoup their costs faster). ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/27 "2015-12-11T19:52:28Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I would imagine that a hospital’s backup generator is sized for just what the hospital absolutely needs in an emergency. If you’re running on the backup, elective surgeries would be postponed, televisions turned off, lighting dimmed, etc. If they installed solar panels they’d still need exactly the same backup system in case the grid went down at night. > > On the other hand, there’s nothing about a hospital that disqualifies it from using solar panels either. The places that install them are doing it because it makes economic sense; the panels will generate enough power, and save a corresponding amount on energy bills, to pay for their installation and upkeep. If that works for a grocery store, it could work for a hospital, too. > > I think the key factors are the space available (grocery stores have big roofs, schools have big parking lots) so you can install lots of panels, and what you pay for electricity from the grid (places that need power during peak times will pay more for it, meaning the panels recoup their costs faster). Absolutely agree. Many hospitals have big parking lots, also. It is also fair to say that, just as with many other businesses, hospitals use more power during the day. They use a lot of power at night, but there is much more activity in the daytime. Also, as big institutions, they should be better able to handle moving electricity around departments or grabbing from different sources than smaller stores. So, some hospitals should be able to find uses for solar panels, if anyone can. It’s a long way from that to saying that rooftop solar panels will be healthcare’s salvation. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/28 "2015-12-11T19:58:37Z")
Right. The problem with using solar as emergency generation is that you usually need the backup generators on dark and stormy nights, when solar panels don’t work. If a hospital can benefit from solar panels, then by all means slap them up. But the reason the OP thought of hospitals is because hospitals have a requirement for heavy duty off-grid backup power. But solar panels aren’t the answer. Even if a hospital could cover its normal day-to-day power requirements with a solar installation (which would be huge and a lot bigger than just the roof and parking lots) it would still need generator backup for dark and stormy nights. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/29 "2015-12-11T21:19:25Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > In my experience, power outages are most common on dark and stormy nights, less common on dark and stormy days, and very rare on bright sunny days. > > But then I don’t live in the sunbelt- maybe it’s different there. Houston’s in the sunbelt. We’re also Hurricane Country. Most of our energy blackouts actually come when slower tropical systems cause flooding. Even during the daytime, there’s no sunshine available. _Note_: Don’t put your major electrical systems in the basement. After one storm, some hospitals had good emergency power but the hospitals went dark after power came back online. Took weeks to fix. _Second note:_ Don’t put your emergency generators in the basement. That idiocy leads to nurses carrying patients down stairwells lit only by flashlights. It was a pediatric tower, so the patients were light–but still reason to fire some cheap-ass administrators. This one took months to fix. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/30 "2015-12-14T20:25:47Z")
Kaiser health here in California installs solar in the carports: > **[Custom Care & Coverage Just For You | Kaiser Permanente](https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/washington/front-door)** > > Staying healthy is easier with the right support. Visit kp.org to learn how we customize care and coverage just for you. > [@](#): > > Our Orange County–Irvine Medical Center is one of the area’s first major medical centers to receive a significant amount of energy from the sun. We recently installed solar panels on carports covering more than 500 parking spaces in our employee lot. The panels will generate about 10 percent of the power used at the hospital. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/31 "2015-12-22T22:15:50Z")
[QUOTE=Bridget Burke] Most hospital roofs are already crowded. With heli pads, often. [/QUOTE] Crowded isn’t quite the word I’d use. \*Crammed \*is more like it. I’ve had the opportunity to see a couple different hospital roofs from above recently, and between chillers, generators, electrical switchgear, HVAC, ductwork, and a maze of pipes, there’s scarcely room to walk between it all. Good luck finding room for a useful solar installation on [this hospital](https://www.google.com/maps/place/UCSF+Benioff+Children's+Hospital+Oakland/@37.8369492,-122.2673185,72m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!1m2!2m1!1schildren's+hospital+oakland+ca!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0x216c19519388c1c2!6m1!1e1). ---
**Author:** ![UberArchetype](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/2bfe46/32.png) [@UberArchetype](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UberArchetype)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/32 "2015-12-23T01:04:06Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > You would only lower the cost of healthcare if solar is cheaper than what they are using now, and it isn’t. That’s got to be the most ridiculous over-generalization I’ve seen in quite awhile. There are so many factors involved in the equation the answer is different for just about any 2 places in the country more than 100 miles apart. Utility rates, type of equipment, installation orientation, weather, financing and more comes into play. For example, our system is expected to reach payback in approximately 10 years with the utility crediting us for producing more than we use. It’s not just cheaper, it’s a money maker here. ---
**Author:** ![T.M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@T.M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.M)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/33 "2015-12-23T08:53:39Z")
All new builds should incorporate energy saving systems to enable them to get planning permission. Solar panel’s can reduce energy costs by supplying power and hot water. in the UK any surplice energy can be sold to energy providers, as for hospitals they use a great deal of power for none emergency systems such as lighting I do not know about America but in the UK it is about time the construction industry incorporated new tech in their developments. I am not a green but common sense tells me that we can save energy without returning to the stoneage ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065/34 "2015-12-26T02:36:18Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Grocery stores and parking lots, OTOH, are ideal. A number of high schools around here are also installing solar shades over their parking lots, which protects cars from the hot sun and cuts power costs for the district. Suburban lowrises are also ideal. Lots of surface area plus high demand during the daytime. Solar shades over the parking lots would also be good; they have even bigger lots than high schools. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-put-solar-panels-on-hospital-rooftops/740065.md?page=1)