​Outcome statementImproving air quality and health by using our natural resources (energy and water) in sustainable ways, including transitioning to clean renewable energy.
Improving air quality and health by using our natural resources (energy and water) in sustainable ways, including transitioning to clean renewable energy.
The Net Zero Government Operations Policy sets a range of actions for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health targeting scope 2 emissions, renewable energy, energy efficiency and demand management. It outlines requirements for the health system to investigate the feasibility of demand response in our operations, support the bulk purchase of renewable electricity, consider opportunities to host grid-scale renewables (including rooftop solar PV) and electrify operations and equipment. In line with Green Star certification requirements, future certified ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health Facilities will need to be powered by 100% renewable energy, including Green Power. All gas-fired plant and equipment must be replaced with electric or fossil fuel free alternatives at end of life, or earlier if cost effective.
The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Government has committed to delivering a reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity system and using its purchasing power to leverage more large-scale storage energy projects, driving investment in infrastructure, and supporting more renewable energy to enter the grid.9,10 The transformation of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s electricity system to solar and other technologies will deliver substantial emission reductions and air quality improvements across ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø.11
The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Government has increased its solar on government buildings target to achieve 126,000 MWh a year of solar generation by 2024. ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health has installed over 20MW of rooftop solar generation capacity across our public hospitals.12
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health’s Solar for Hospitals campaign has delivered:
Port Macquarie Hospital hosts Australia’s first large- scale battery system at a hospital. The solar energy storage system allows the hospital to switch to stored energy during peak periods and send electricity back to the grid, generating revenue.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health aims to have nearly all lights converted to LED lights by 2030. LEDs are energy efficient alternatives using at least 75 percent less energy than conventional light bulbs.12
In situations where energy efficiency and solar opportunities have been maximised, energy contracts could be used to increase the availability of renewable energy and to purchase green power where necessary.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, including increasing droughts and extreme temperatures leading to water scarcity and unseasonal rainfall leading to flooding.2,13 These climate impacts affect water quality, access, and sanitation, and are felt by our communities.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Heath is already making significant investments in water resource management and water and sanitation programs to improve the security, reliability, quality, and resilience of the natural resource.14
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health’s Environmental Health Branch works in collaboration with the Health Protection Network and Public Health Units across metropolitan and regional ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø to address the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person and the related factors that can potentially affect health.15 This includes the provision of safe drinking water supplies, recreational use of water, sewage management, public swimming pools, toxicology, microbial control, skin penetration industries, funeral industries, mosquito vector management, air quality, heatwaves, waste management, and basic hygiene.
Our system is partnering with stakeholders to investigate water efficiency, quality, and security strategies across our health care facilities. This includes trialling new sustainable technologies that reduce the impact on our waterways, marine life and reduce landfill. Together we are supporting the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Government’s commitment to ensure that communities in regional and metropolitan ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø have the water they need to thrive, grow and enjoy—now and for future generations.14
The consultation process confirmed what is working well in the system and identified priorities and areas that require improvement.
There were many examples of what is working well to support sustainable resource use, including:
In December 2021, John Hunter Hospital became home to the largest single hospital rooftop photovoltaic solar system in Australia. The installation includes over 5300 solar panels covering 12,000 square metres of roof space. The system has a total generating capacity of 2.4MW or 2MVA (AC), supplying approximately 12 percent of the hospital's total energy requirement. The project was funded with a ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Treasury loan through the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Government’s Energy Efficient Government Program, which is open to all Government agencies.
Orange Hospital is home to the second largest solar PV installation in any government facility in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø with more than 3,300 rooftop solar panels installed on buildings across the Orange and Bloomfield Hospital campus. The system resulted in a reduction of almost 2,300 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of around 500 homes.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health now has a total of nearly 20 megawatts of solar in its network, spread out on previously unused roof space. This covers the equivalent of about 20 soccer fields - or a large-scale solar farm if built as a ground-level system.
Solar energy has reduced ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health’s electricity bill by $4.2 million a year, with projected savings of $15 million a year by 2030.
The program has already reduced carbon emissions by around 33,000 tonnes - the equivalent of removing about 18,000 cars from the road.
Storing solar energy — and off-peak electricity from the grid — into an onsite battery system. The batteries at Port Macquarie Hospital, installed in 2021, is Australia’s first large-scale battery system at a hospital.
The system allows the hospital to switch to the stored energy in the batteries during peak periods when electricity companies are charging their highest rates. The batteries can also send electricity back to the grid, selling it back to the energy companies during peak periods to generate revenue.
In 2022, NSLHD replaced 5000 lights with modern energy efficient LED lighting technology.
LED technology is currently the most commercially energy efficient way of providing artificial lighting. The LED replacement project results in ongoing waste reduction as LED lights last significantly longer and require less frequent maintenance.
The replacement of 5000 lights resulted in a carbon reduction of 2023 tonnes per year, equivalent to carbon produced by 477 average Australian homes, or taking 1065 cars off the road.
Research shows that medical imaging has a substantial carbon footprint. Larger imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging, angiography suites and computed tomography scanners use significant amounts of electricity. As Australia has the second highest number of CT scanners per capita in the world and 115 of these scanners are found in New South Wales public hospitals, switching off scanners at appropriate times, presents an opportunity for potential savings.
The CT switch off pilot project investigated potential carbon, financial and health service benefits of turning off a CT scanner when not in use. The project was conducted at John Hunter Hospital in Hunter New England Local Health District.
The project was successful in achieving energy, carbon and financial savings; over the course of one week, energy consumption was reduced by approximately 32%. This equates to 7,280 kWh saved annually. This energy saving was achieved by switching off the CT scanner when not in clinical use after hours. The pilot project saved approximately 5.5tonnes CO2e, which is comparable to the annual carbon footprint of two light vehicles. Two further sites within HNELHD are currently implementing this intervention.
In an Australian first, HealthShare ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø (HSºÚÁϳԹÏÍø) has partnered with eWater Systems to supply onsite generators in kitchens that produce sanitising and cleaning solutions using electrolysed water technology (eWater). eWater is an environmentally friendly and safe replacement for synthetic chemical- based cleaning and sanitising products. The technology uses salt, water, and electricity to produce sustainable cleaning, sanitising, and disinfecting solutions.
eWater is currently in use at over 120 food service sites, reducing chemical usage, handling, improving staff safety and reducing reliance on single-use plastics. The technology will be introduced to more than 160 public hospitals across ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø over the next three years.
As part of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health Pathology’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the new Dubbo pathology laboratory was selected as a pilot site to install sensor taps. Led by Monica Mintern, the project conserves water and supports energy efficiency. Sensor taps create a hygienic and safe environment for staff and patients; removing the need to handle taps and reducing the chance of cross contamination.
The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Government has committed to delivering a reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity system and using its purchasing power to leverage more large-scale storage energy projects, driving investment in infrastructure, and supporting more renewable energy to enter the grid.9,10
