By: Greg van Wyk, CEO of Mediclinic Southern Africa

A vision of being carbon neutral by 2030 is an ambitious one. Especially with an organisation that has a large national footprint, unique local challenges and a reliance mainly on a coal generated power supply challenged by loadshedding.

In 2021, with ten short years to achieve this lofty goal, Mediclinic set about measuring, analysing and then reducing their reliance on fossil fuel energy supplies. Four years in, Mediclinic now has photovoltaic panels installed at 28 sites across South Africa and is heading towards their next phase of the programme, a national project aimed to installing micro-grids that integrate battery systems with on-site renewable energy.

“Traditionally, we have relied on on-site solar provision for our baseload. At the time the export of excess energy export was not available and battery energy storage systems did not have any financial viability. But now we are ready to introduce storage options. We do however have different challenges at our sites, including space availability, different systems on the grid as well as the financial viability of such solutions to specific hospitals,” explains Greg van Wyk, CEO of Mediclinic Southern Africa.

“It has to not only make environmental sense, but also financial sense, in order for us to install a sustainable solution. We need to know that it is going to work and is going to actively contribute towards our renewable vision.”

Mediclinic experts are currently working on the right solution for their hospitals, one that makes sense for the South Africa environment and the somewhat erratic energy supply. With many solutions making sense across the European continent, these solutions are not automatically a readymade or perfect fit in the South African context. A pilot at Mediclinic Milnerton and Mediclinic Vergelegen in the Western Cape was chosen to generate answers to some of their key questions.

While residential storage of energy has come a long way, it is important in the hospital environment to identify the right solution that will be efficient in this complex scenario and offer both reliable and efficient battery systems as well as the essential control. Mediclinic will be installing micro-grid control systems, which are computerised systems connecting to all energy sources, programmed to make calculated decisions on the best approach for different conditions such as supply during peak loads, overcast conditions, load shedding or power cuts. “The approach must be strategic in how we implement, with such a considerable investment by the business – it must be efficient, reliable and able to be constantly monitored. Our business is about delivering expert clinical care, and we need to know that whatever solution we choose, can be relied upon by all stakeholders.”

But the Mediclinic Group approach is not just straightforward PV energy investment to convert to renewables. While the business has introduced wheeling agreements at two sites and a combination of owned and third party (BBBEEE empowerment owned) supply of PV energy, the team understands that they won’t necessarily have a single solution across all hospitals. “We also understand the importance of sharing risk, possibly looking at two or three varied solutions across our network,” Van Wyk explains.

All 50 hospitals have taken a strong hand by constantly reducing their demand through the acquisition of more energy efficient equipment, creating a greater awareness across the business of ongoing energy consumption while also identifying opportunities for further reduction. “Energy and water consumption are key indicators for every hospital management team – they monitor, adjust and have to report back on any elements outside their targets – it is a hands-on approach to making a significant difference in the long term,” explains Van Wyk.

He concludes, “Mediclinic will continue to approach this target with a practical, solution driven roll-out plan. I know that we have the expertise on hand to make our vision a reality. We will be a responsible role player in our country, creating a better future for the next generation.”