Striving to Become the First Net-Zero Pediatric Hospital in the Country

Striving to become the first net-zero pediatric hospital campus in the country, Valley Children’s Healthcare is launching a revolutionary energy resilience and environmental strategy. Upon completion, Valley Children’s will achieve net-zero carbon emissions and operate the largest pediatric healthcare-based renewable energy microgrid in the country.

Valley Children’s partnered with Mazzetti to accomplish two strategic priorities – to build energy resiliency for the hospital campus 24/7 operations and to do their part to improve air quality in the region. Valley Children’s, the leading provider of pediatric care in Central California, specifically needed to address the increasing risk of (utility-level) power outages while achieving energy independence and security and lower operational costs.

Towards this, Mazzetti led the production of a Strategic Energy Master Plan, including the documentation of Valley Children’s current concerns as well as potential concerns from future planned growth. Mazzetti evaluated several different solutions before landing on the current microgrid system, balancing their need for resilience with financial performance, while enabling future expansion. Targeted for completion in 2025, this renewable energy microgrid is poised to be the largest among pediatric healthcare facilities in the country. It will reduce reliance on the traditional power grid, ensuring Valley Children’s Hospital campus remains operational in the event of power outages in the region.

“This project really began as an attempt to improve the energy resilience of this site.” says Walt Vernon, CEO of Mazzetti. “It’s a fast-growing community where the energy demands are rising rapidly. The local utility is struggling to keep up. There are also some unique circumstances on this particular site that make you even more vulnerable in a way to energy disruptions. So, the project really started as a way to figure out how we can ensure reliable energy to the site. And, if possible, how can we do it in a way that reduces costs? As as we worked on the project and examined different alternatives, this notion that we could do it with a renewable energy microgrid emerged as the preferable solution for a range of ideas.”

The monumental signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was the pleasantly unexpected twist in the story. Valley Children’s will essentially reap nearly half of their initial investment through investment tax credits. By selecting systems that align with the domestic content and global warming potential requirements stipulated in the IRA, Valley Children’s investments should reflect a change in the nonprofit healthcare provider market. They will be a model for similar healthcare facilities to consider infrastructural improvements that impact the resiliency and operational efficiency of their facilities.

Valley Children’s Healthcare and Mazzetti were early signees to the White House/ Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Sector Climate Pledge, a nationwide effort to address the impacts of climate change on public health. As a signee, Valley Children’s and Mazzetti voluntarily commit to reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. When Valley Children’s achieves net zero, the campus will have eliminated its carbon footprint and negative impact on air quality.

“The majority of a person’s health is shaped by the community that one lives in, so it is imperative that healthcare providers, especially those of us who serve children, look outside of our walls,” says Dr. Carmela Sosa-Unguez, complex care pediatrician and director of the Valley Children’s Guilds Center for Community Health. “It is our duty to make sure we do everything within our ability to ensure that children have a healthy place to grow. By making these changes, we are helping contribute to cleaner air and to healthier environments. This is not going to be solved by one person or one organization, though. It will take all of us to work together and every little bit helps.”

Successful implementation of Valley Children’s energy resilience program will be used as a model for other Health and Human Services Climate Pledge signees, positioning Valley Children’s as a national leader – a trailblazer – in healthcare. Mazzetti is honored to be their strategic partner and technical advisor towards becoming the first net-zero pediatric hospital in the country.