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Renewable vs. traditional energy management solutions – A Finnish hospital facility case

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  • Kantola, Mikko
  • Saari, Arto

Abstract

This article discusses the current price situation in the Finnish energy market. The aim of the study was to calculate the life-cycle costs (LCC) of 12 energy management systems and compare the prices. Surprisingly, the most polluting and commonly used solution, combination of district heating and grid electricity, was also the most expensive solution. The main reason for this is the increase in energy prices in Finland in the twenty-first century. According to the calculations, when considering a facility the size of the Espoo Hospital, the most affordable solutions were biogas energy, wood chip heating and ground source heating. The differences were relatively small between all solutions other than biogas. Biogas energy is by far the most affordable solution. However, it is only suitable for large-scale projects and some uncertainty risk has to be added because the system is not yet commonly used. Regarding the other unorthodox systems, solar electricity was the most expensive method; similar to the situation with snow storage cooling, which needs to entail certain societal benefits for it to be cost-effective. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted using four variations; however, significant differences to the original calculations were not discovered.

Suggested Citation

  • Kantola, Mikko & Saari, Arto, 2013. "Renewable vs. traditional energy management solutions – A Finnish hospital facility case," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 539-545.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:57:y:2013:i:c:p:539-545
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2013.02.023
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alanne, Kari & Saari, Arto, 2004. "Sustainable small-scale CHP technologies for buildings: the basis for multi-perspective decision-making," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 8(5), pages 401-431, October.
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    3. Valkila, Noora & Saari, Arto, 2010. "Urgent need for new approach to energy policy: The case of Finland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(7), pages 2068-2076, September.
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    6. Maria Psillaki & Nikolaos Apostolopoulos & Ilias Makris & Panagiotis Liargovas & Sotiris Apostolopoulos & Panos Dimitrakopoulos & George Sklias, 2023. "Hospitals’ Energy Efficiency in the Perspective of Saving Resources and Providing Quality Services through Technological Options: A Systematic Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-21, January.
    7. Rosa Francesca De Masi & Nicoletta Del Regno & Antonio Gigante & Silvia Ruggiero & Alessandro Russo & Francesco Tariello & Giuseppe Peter Vanoli, 2023. "The Importance of Investing in the Energy Refurbishment of Hospitals: Results of a Case Study in a Mediterranean Climate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-20, July.
    8. Janghorban Esfahani, Iman & Lee, SeungChul & Yoo, ChangKyoo, 2015. "Extended-power pinch analysis (EPoPA) for integration of renewable energy systems with battery/hydrogen storages," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1-14.
    9. Małgorzata Cygańska & Magdalena Kludacz-Alessandri, 2021. "Determinants of Electrical and Thermal Energy Consumption in Hospitals According to Climate Zones in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-24, November.
    10. Carpaneto, E. & Lazzeroni, P. & Repetto, M., 2015. "Optimal integration of solar energy in a district heating network," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 714-721.

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