Pete’s Perspective: Green Energy Garage Construction

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

Our healthcare system has changed much since its founding 70 years ago. Salinas Valley Health is proud of its history and we look forward to sustainable advances that will allow us to better serve our patients and support the health of our community. That includes innovations to support the health of our environment.

​The CDC cites increasing temperatures, extreme weather and rising C02 levels as negatively affecting a wide range of public health outcomes. Reducing our carbon footprint extends our care beyond the people we serve to the planet we depend on for life. Climate-smart healthcare is both our opportunity and our responsibility.

Construction of the four-story parking garage annex at Salinas Valley Health is one way we are building a more energy-efficient future. Once finished it will add nearly 250 parking stalls to our medical center, allowing us to meet the needs of all patients, visitors and staff. The annex will also provide a green source of power for our daily operations.

The top floor will feature a solar power canopy with a robust system that will deliver years of clean energy production. It is estimated the canopy may generate up to 8,500 kilowatt hours of power per month. That’s well over 10-times the amount of power that an average residential customer (household) uses in a year.

In addition to stalls designated for carpool, clean air and electric vehicles (EVs), the annex will include 12 EV charging stations. Its infrastructure will accommodate future expansion providing up to 10% of total annex parking capacity at EV charging stations.

Another green feature is lighting to minimize power usage. LED lights will be installed at the annex and fixture replacement is also scheduled for our existing garage. Construction is on schedule and will include enhanced water conscious landscaping as well as pedestrian access directly from the garage to the medical center. You can watch the live construction in progress by clicking here

Continuing to adopt low-carbon, climate resilient upgrades builds our sustainable future and sets the tone for a healthy community. At Salinas Valley Health, we help our community rise through care for our patients, our community and our planet.