The European Union is investing 500,000 euros through UNDP for the installation of photovoltaic panels with a total capacity of 600 kW on the roofs of five hospitals. These hospitals are located in the districts of Florești, Nisporeni, Ștefan Vodă, Cahul, and Călărași, as stated in a Ministry of Energy press release.
The installation of photovoltaic panels is a response to the energy crisis in the Republic of Moldova and the high costs incurred by medical institutions.
“This project will bring us savings, up to 50% on electricity costs. The money saved will be redirected towards patient meals and better conditions for them. The beneficiary is not just the hospital but all 6,000 patients who receive annual medical assistance at the district hospital in Ștefan Vodă. Moreover, as a medical institution, it is important that we are environmentally friendly,” said Victor Pelin, Acting Director of the Ștefan Vodă District Hospital.
The panels on these five hospitals will annually produce 780 MWh of green electricity, reduce hospital costs by over 20 million lei annually, and decrease CO2 emissions by 437 tons per year.
“All the medical equipment in our institution operates on electricity. With the arrival of the cold season, we will benefit from this, as water is heated using electricity. These panels will bring us a benefit, namely in reducing the electricity bill expenses,” said Nadejda Ulinici, Director of the Nisporeni District Hospital.
In Nisporeni, 242 photovoltaic panels with a capacity of 140 kW have been installed.
“Absolutely everything in the laboratory runs on electricity. 80% of the equipment works 24/7 because we have an emergency laboratory that operates day and night. That’s why I say that solar energy for the hospital is very good, very, very good,” stated Ana Basoc, Head of the Laboratory at the Nisporeni District Hospital.
The photovoltaic panels were installed with the support of the “Addressing the Impact of the Energy Crisis in the Republic of Moldova” program, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP Moldova.
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With a budget of 13 million euros allocated by the European Union, the “Addressing the Impact of the Energy Crisis in the Republic of Moldova” program, implemented by UNDP, has supported the creation of the compensatii.gov.md platform and will launch a campaign to replace old and energy-efficient appliances. The program funds the installation of photovoltaic panels in households and several hospitals, as well as the conversion of centralized heating systems in several buildings to more efficient horizontal distribution systems.
Additionally, the program provides support for the transposition of the third EU energy package into both primary and secondary legislation, as well as the implementation of a series of directives and regulations from the “Clean Energy for All Europeans” package, which addresses building energy performance, renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, good governance, and the design of the electricity market.