Juan Manuel Garza Zamorano
EGADE Business School Tecnologico de Monterrey
Fernanda Concha
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The initiative presented by the Xalapa Medical Center is to reduce the consumption of electric energy using solar panels throughout the hospital, migrating from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles and collecting rainwater for use. This will result in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, reduction in water consumption, deceleration of climate change and reduction of dependence on fossil fuels.
The sustainable development goals that are positively impacted by the initiative are the following:
• Health & Wellness
• Energy
• Climate change
In Medical center of Xalapa, the core business is the care and assistance of people with health-related issues, but there is also the vision of looking for options that contribute to the care and improvement of the community, thus the project of Reduction in electrical energy consumption by installing solar panels for green energy generation contributes to the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and water consumption.
In order to carry out this phase, evaluations of the necessary units to produce the green energy to operate and of the options on the market to find the most efficient and economically viable option had to be made. The best option was chosen, and the panels were installed in the hospital sections. The hospital is divided by 3 electricity bills, so these 3 sections had to be taken in the project.
Counting the entire project, 142 Ja solar Premium 375w mono crystalline solar panels with central current inverter were installed, which will produce a total of 7,718 kWh per month giving a new consumption of 365 kWh, representing a saving of 95.5%. An investment of 1,390,073 MXN was made in the purchase and installation of the 142 panels and that economic investment is expected to be recovered after 4 years. The first phase is already in development, a trial period from March to December is estimated and if at the end of the year the benefits mentioned above are perceived, the subsequent phases will begin.
Nowadays in any business and more in the health sector, it is vitally important to take care of both operational efficiency and organizational reputation. The operational efficiency of the business is one of the main pillars so that the organization can continue operating in the long term.
One of the most important components of operational efficiency are the costs, of which, the consumption of electrical energy is relevant. Through the migration to green energy (use of solar panels, electric vehicles and rainwater harvesting) business efficiency can be improved, as well as contributing to the improvement of the environment. It is relevant to mention that Xalapa Medical Center is aware that every organization requires a social license to operate, to continue generating profits so that, making use of green energy, its reputation is benefited, and it becomes more competitive.
The impact of the initiative has three aspects: economic, social and environmental.
Regarding the economic impact, this initiative allows a cost reduction for the company of approximately $ 340,000 MXN per year (Phase 1), which benefits the company by modifying its fixed cost structure, reducing its operating leverage.
Related to the environmental impact, this initiative has positive repercussions because, as mentioned above, it leads to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, reduction in water consumption, deceleration of climate change and reduction of dependence on fossil fuels.
Finally, with respect to social impact, it has benefits since improving the quality of the air within its surroundings, leads to a healthier society.
Economic Benefit
By carrying out this project (Phase 1) the company can reduce its energy consumption.
Annual expenditure $ 355,544.87
Annual Savings $ 339,497.82
New consumption $ 16,047.05
By performing this analysis, we can see that the company would save 95.5% in consumption in MXN and produce 99.6% of the energy it needs. This leads to an economic and environmental benefit.
It should be mentioned that because the hospital works with high-tech equipment, it requires a constant voltage, which our current provider cannot guarantee, while solar panels do fulfill that function, which does lead to major savings not quantifiable at this moment.
Environmental Benefit
Through this project the company contributes to the goals of sustainable development (SDG) health and wellbeing, energy and climate change, by producing clean energy and eliminating almost to zero the consumption of conventional electric energy. As we explained in previous sections in this way this project generates an impact on sustainable development and also contributes to the Hospital having a reputation for supporting and contributing to sustainable initiatives.
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Medical Center of Xalapa is a hospital company, whose base and flagship hospital is located in the city of Xalapa, Veracruz . With more than 20 years in service, it is characterized by being a company that takes care of the environment, with projects such as green roofs, recycling programs, water-saving baths, LED lighting and reforestation of green areas in charge of the company.