净零医疗保健：设想医院的全电动未来

Alessandro Ciampechini

在全球范围内，公民依靠医院，这必须在不中断的情况下进行24/7的运行才能提供持续的重症监护。从冷却和通风到灭菌和照明，医院的能量需求很大，因此，它们的碳排放量很高：确实，医疗保健部门负责全球年度排放量的4.4％¹。但是，越来越多的国家承诺实现净零目标，而医院在这里承担着重大责任。在全球范围内，医疗保健部门的脱碳是一个紧迫而困难的挑战。电气化是溶液的一部分吗？通过合并电气化，医院可以减少对化石燃料的依赖并获得可观的好处。全电动设施代表了节省能源成本，有助于改善人类健康的机会，并为医疗保健和地球的更绿色，更可持续的未来铺平道路。

探索电气化

医院的电气化涉及交换现有技术和系统，这些技术和系统将化石燃料与可持续的替代品（如热泵和电动汽车）进行了交换。如果医院可以利用零碳电力的来源，例如风，太阳能，水力和地热来满足其巨大的能量需求，这将大大减少其碳足迹。WSP副总监Alessandro Ciampechini提供了对可持续，电气能源的过渡的见解：“这是关于将HVAC系统转换为电力技术，”他解释说。‘这将需要重新设计大多数加热和热水生成系统，从而使温度设定点较低。此外，尽管未来的医院将需要减少所用的蒸汽量，但电力可能会导致蒸汽产生，包括灭菌。’

Ciampechini在2030年在巴斯的皇家联合医院（Royal United Hospital）制定了净零净能量战略，这是一家医院的一个例子，目的是使其削减碳排放的运作电气化。‘我们已经开发了三个主要领域的工作：通过优化现有设备和系统升级来减少能源需求；通过太阳能光伏在现场最大化可再生生成；并通过使现场的能源使用来消除化石燃料。”他说。在澳大利亚，该国第一家全电动医院的计划正在进行中。阿德莱德的新妇女和儿童医院（NWCH）将连接到由南澳大利亚越来越多的可再生电网供电的电源 - 2020年，可再生能源提供了该州60％的能源需求 - 还将使用现场生成和存储的电力。

未来是全电动吗？

对医院全能或至少一部分电气的未来的愿景令人鼓舞，但这真的是一个可实现的目标吗？生活取决于医院始终如一地运行，至关重要的是，它们具有可靠和充足的能源供应，因此在权衡引入电气化时，这是一个重要的考虑因素。Ciampechini acknowledges that there are indeed challenges but says these hurdles can be overcome providing hospitals make adequate and thorough preparations: ‘Hospitals and care settings have unique heat requirements, including high temperature steam and substantial hot water demand, which in some cases can be difficult to meet using low carbon technologies such as heat pumps, heat networks and solar thermal,’ he states. ‘As a consequence, each estate needs a comprehensive technical assessment and detailed strategy and business case to find the most effective solution.’

随着越来越多的可再生能源供应商可以为医院提供可再生电力来源，而不论其所在位置以及迅速发展的创新和技术，电气化都是真正的可能性。Ciampechini说：“从技术的角度来看，我们已经拥有一切来实现它。”‘Moreover, in the coming years these technologies will improve their efficiency and deliverability to a wider range of applications.’ Establishing electrification is likely to require a higher initial investment but will prove financially beneficial in the long term through energy savings and avoiding future levies on fossil fuels use. ‘The implementation plan needs to be realistic and cannot disrupt typical hospital operations,’ says Ciampechini. ‘Major investments can be bundled with hospital refurbishment or within equipment’s life cycle replacement programmes. Replacing carbon intensive equipment at the end of its useful technical life with low or zero carbon equipment also makes financial sense from an operating expense perspective in the medium to long term.’

一个变革性的选择

最终，如果全球的医院可以完全电动或将电气化能源更多地纳入其建筑物和操作中，则可能会创造出良性的圈子。As the electricity grids continue to decarbonise , greater use of electricity in healthcare will valuably contribute to achieving crucial operational net zero outcomes with, for example, the greenhouse emission savings of Adelaide’s nWCH estimated to be 2,178 tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of removing around 700 vehicles from the road. There will be benefits for public health due to the myriad of health problems associated with natural gas emissions as well as further commonalities around greater back up generation capacity and enhanced plant operational flexibility. The use of zero emissions vehicles, for example, means less pollution and related illnesses, saving on healthcare costs. Furthermore, hospitals have the potential to enhance their resilience by incorporating electric innovations and thereby improving their power availability and reliability. Government support and investment is required to afford hospitals the building blocks they need to go electric and with new and exciting innovations emerging, the options for electrification will continue to expand. Not only is the electrification of hospitals feasible, but it has the potential to breathe new life into ageing infrastructure and enable hospitals to be future-ready.

¹https://www.carbonbrief.org/healthcare-in-worlds------- eccounts-accounts-for-4 of-global-emassions