Albany Medical Center, northeastern New York’s only academic health sciences center, has chosen to enroll in the Nexamp community solar program to support local clean energy projects while simultaneously saving money on its electric costs. Under the agreements, Albany Med will receive energy credits generated from four Nexamp solar farms located across National Grid’s service territory—approximately 7.9 megawatts of clean energy—for an annual estimated savings of more than $150,000.
Nexamp operates hundreds of community solar farms that generate clean electricity fed directly to the local utility grid and shares the value of that energy with large subscribers, such as Albany Medical Center, as well as residential subscribers, to help reduce monthly electric bills. Under the terms of this transaction, Nexamp and Albany Medical Center worked closely to ensure that Albany Med’s employees and the Medical College’s students had an opportunity to participate as well, enrolling more than 75 individuals to date on Nexamp’s project located in Clifton Park.
“When Hospital Energy, our longtime energy advisor, presented the opportunity to partner with Nexamp to reduce energy costs and improve community health through lower emissions of carbon and other pollutants, it seemed like a win-win,” said Frances Spreer Albert, executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Albany Med. “The savings we will realize from these solar projects will directly support our vital patient care mission while also helping our Albany Med community and residents of Clifton Park to obtain the benefits of clean, lower cost energy.”
Community solar is growing rapidly in many states across the country, providing options for those who want to go solar without having to install panels or invest money up-front. Where available, businesses are embracing the advantages of distributed solar, such as enhanced sustainability and reduced operational expenses.
“As the nation continues to battle this virus, we know how important it is for healthcare providers to find ways to reduce operating costs, and we also know that sustainability is a priority for many of them,” noted Joe Fiori, director of Business Development at Nexamp. “This is certainly the case for Albany Medical Center. We are excited to welcome them to our growing list of hospital networks that have joined Nexamp community solar farms and are committed to providing them with excellent service for years to come.”
Albany Medical Center includes the 766-bed Albany Medical Center Hospital, which offers the widest range of medical and surgical services in the region. It also includes the Albany Medical College, which trains the next generation of doctors, scientists and other healthcare professionals, and which also includes a biomedical research enterprise and the region’s largest physicians’ practice with more than 450 doctors.
— Solar Builder magazine
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