Franziskus Hospital Hardberg

Green health care: Franziskus - Hospital Hardberg

The solar thermal plant, with in total 790 m²/8,500 ft², supports the energy supply of domestic hot water system, heating system, air-conditioning system (via

The solar thermal plant, with in total 790 m²/8,500 ft², supports the energy supply of domestic hot water system, heating system, air-conditioning system (via absorption chiller) and feeds solar heat into the existing district heating grid.

For the facility team of the Franziskus-Hospital Harderberg, the following main goals were important regarding the decision in possible investments in the energy supply system: 1) Safe Energy Supply. 2) Local energy production should be based on local energy demand profiles (high self-consumption coverage). 3) Stable and predictable mid-term and long-term energy rates. 4) No interruption of the existing operations. After detailed due diligence of possible energy solutions, the hospital decided to install a solar thermal system, fulfilling the goals in the best way. The system, with a gross collector area of 790 m²/8,500 ft², produces 320 MWh per year. Depending on the available solar energy and energy demand, the plant can support the domestic hot water, heating, and air-conditioning system. Should there be any surplus heat left – no problem – the system can feed into the existing heating grid too. The perfect green energy supply mix!

SOLID supported the responsible engineering team regarding the solar system size, possible applications, and most suitable solar thermal collectors. In total 4 roofs could be covered with solar thermal collector fields, which work together as one system. The system, with a minimum lifetime of 20 years, generates cost-effective energy rates. In this way, the hospital can save expensive energy, and calculate stable energy rates in the future. In this way, it is a win-win situation, for the hospital and environment