New CHC solar project provides backup energy source for healthcare services in case of power outages

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC) celebrated the completion of a long-awaited project Tuesday morning that will help guarantee the healthcare provider will sustain important services in case of power outages.

During a ceremony at the CHC Telehealth Hub, officials with CHC, along with Direct Relief, announced the completion of a rooftop solar and battery storage system at the Santa Maria facility.

"This is a really important day for a lot of us," said CHC Medical Director Steve Clarke. "We now have complete sustainability without any need for electricity coming from the outside."

The project was funded with a $305,000 grant from Direct Relief's Power for Health Initiative, which supports Federally Qualified Health Centers and free and charitable clinics across the United States and globally in building clean energy systems.

"Direct Relief sees so often, in emergency situations that the loss of power means that there's no services available," said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief CEO. "We're concerned about that here in the Central Coast, which are subjected to wildfires, floods and power outages just due to even wind. So for the Community Health Centers of the Central Coast, they're a critical role. They're one of the largest networks of nonprofit health centers in the entire state and country, so we just thought, what a perfect example of how to take philanthropic money and do something really important for the county that supported Direct Relief for 75 years."

CHC said the new solar project will enable its Telehealth Hub to remain operational during power outages.

"It's incredibly important for community health and especially for this area," said Clarke. "Even in a worst case scenario, if we should ever lose power, this clinic will have the people be able to reach out to the patients."

The Santa Maria facility provides behavioral, psychiatry and primary care through phone and video conferencing and has conducted over 275,000 telehealth visits since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

"It's such a huge agricultural area with a large geographic area that we cover all of San Luis Obispo County and the north part of Santa Barbara County," said Clarke. "That's just such a huge geographic area. Not everybody can make it into clinic, so being able to do telehealth is also such a powerful new tool that we can do."

The project includes 60 rooftop panels with a 31.8 kW solar array and a 60 kW/145kWh battery.

The entire unit is now fully operating and powering the CHC telehealth hub. In case of an emergency, the panels will keep the building self-powered for up to 72 hours.

"I am very humbled by it," said Clarke. "I know that we have the comfort level so no matter what, we'll be able to reach our patients. As a family medicine physician operating out of this clinic, I know that this is such an important place to give great health care in ways that patients not always can get. For those patients who have transportation issues, for the patients who may be bedbound at home, I can make my visits with them out of this clinic no matter what the circumstances."

CHC said the solar system is projected to save the nonprofit more than $14,500 in annually in utility costs.