Kaiser Permanente in Gaithersburg, Maryland furthers its net-zero emissions goal with hybrid carport-ground mount solar system
This hybrid carport and ground-mounted solar system is helping Kaiser Permanente (KP), the largest nonprofit health maintenance organization in the country, meet its clean energy goals. In 2022, Kaiser Permanente established a goal to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
The hybrid system is located at the Kaiser Permanente Gaithersburg Medical Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland and consists of an 886kW carport and a 467kW ground-mounted array as well as four electrical vehicle (EV) chargers. A six-story, 200,000-square-foot office building, the Medical Center is KP’s largest facility in the state, providing primary and specialty care departments, including Oncology, Urgent Care, an Ambulatory Surgery Center and Advanced Radiology.
Standard Solar developed, financed, and owns and operates the system. This is the company’s second project with KP; the first project, also a hybrid system, is located at KP’s Shady Grove Medical Center. The Gaithersburg hybrid system offsets 42% of the Medical Center’s electricity load. The carport generates 1163.7 MWh of energy annually, while the ground mount portion generates 694 MWh energy annually. Rather than using a drop edge construction, the carport employs a unique “Y design” that directs rainwater directly into the town’s stormwater system.
Kaiser Permanente has demonstrated a commitment to reducing its carbon footprint through a number of initiatives like pursuing LEED and net zero building certification, purchasing renewable energy credits, and curtailing their emission-related impacts from anesthetic and medical gases.
