CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, N.J. will receive a big energy boost - from the sun.
The hospital, which serves more than 14,000 inpatients a year, is operating on the power provided by KDC Solar's LLC megawatt solar panel system.
The solar panel project is the largest photovoltaic solar system supplying solar energy to any hospital in the state of New Jersey. It is considered one of the largest solar operations on the U.S. East Coast.
KDC's system is expected to generate about 8.1 million kilowatt hours of solar electricity a year. That's the equivalent of 768 homes being completely powered with electricity for an entire year.
Bedminster, N.J.-based KDC Solar developed, owns and operates the solar panel system. It operates over 50 megawatts of "behind the meter" solar facilities at 11 different locations.
Many hospitals and large-scale corporations are making the transition to solar power to cut costs and leave a smaller carbon footprint.
The world's largest solar-powered hospital, L'Hopital Universitaire de Mirebalais is located in Haiti. There are 1800 solar panels on the roof and the system provides surplus energy.
Solar energy is important, particularly in regions where there are energy blackouts from storms and inclement and recurring weather incidents.
The top solar-powered states are California, Arizona, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Hawaii, according to industry group Solar Energy Industries Association.
