Hospital solar solution to treat planet’s health

Jul 16, 2023

**Solar savings:** Solar panels on the roof of Shepparton Private Hospital, which Ramsay Health Care says will save more than 437 tonnes of carbon emissions every year.

Shepparton Private Hospital is expanding its health services to care of the planet.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

The hospital has unveiled a new solar panel system, which will save hundreds of tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

Hospital chief executive Rhys Jones said the new 318-kilowatt solar panel system will save more than 437 tonnes of carbon emissions and 1.414 gigajoules of energy every year.

“Saving more than 6300 tonnes of carbon emissions over its lifetime, this system is the equivalent of taking 105 cars off the road,” he said.

“Installing solar panels is just the latest in a list of practical actions we’ve taken to protect the environment and create a more sustainable hospital for the future.”

Another initiative the hospital has made recently is the move to ‘greener theatres’.

Anaesthetists have almost completely stopped using the anaesthetic gas called desflurane, which was reported to have more than 20 times the global warming potential of alternative gases.

Instead, anaesthetists use the more environmentally friendly gas ‘sevoflurane’ when preparing patients for surgery in a bid to help protect the planet.

“We’ve managed to almost completely cut out the use of desflurane, switching to alternatives with a much lower carbon cost,” Mr Jones said.

Ramsay Health Care, the operator of Shepparton Private Hospital, is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 while also removing 75 million single-use plastic items from sites before the end of this year.