Solar and Storage Microgrids for Rural Community Health Centers

Rural community health centers depend on consistent and reliable electricity to serve their patients. Power outages pose a major risk to health center patients, who might need to defer or travel farther for care, and they have the potential to be massively expensive due to interruptions in service and loss of refrigerated vaccines and medications. As power outages become more frequent due to aging electricity infrastructure and extreme weather events, backup power systems can be a cost-effective investment. Solar+storage microgrids can provide reliable backup power during grid outages and cost savings year-round.

This document provides an overview of how solar+storage microgrids work, how they can benefit community health centers, and how these systems can be financed through programs such as the federally-funded Solar+Storage Microgrids for Rural Community Health Centers Project.