SUSTAINABILITY
Figures 6A and 6B: The hydrogen fuel cell system (left) linked to a solar PV system to generate ‘green’ electrical energy in a rural healthcare clinic in Borneo Sarawak.
endorsed by the Advisory Council for Certified Healthcare Facility Management (IAC-CHFM), and recognised by MOH in 2015. The content also includes modules on sustainable facility and energy management, in line with the sustainability goals of MOH. Subsequently, the training programme is now being regulated by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Act (Act 520) as part of the Contractors Registration requirement under healthcare FM (F02) group (CIDB, 2017). Currently, over 150 professionals – primarily employees of the FM companies, as well as another 100 MOH engineers – have successfully completed the CHFM course.
Hydrogen-based power solutions – the next step? A more recent sustainability initiative for healthcare facilities in Malaysia is the application of a hydrogen gas electrification system for a rural healthcare clinic. There are a significant number of rural clinics isolated from the national power grid that rely on generators for power, resulting in a limited ability to provide healthcare services to rural communities using modern technology. However, 2022 marked another milestone for Malaysian healthcare facilities, when a hydrogen fuel cell system was successfully commissioned and tested in a Borneo Sarawak rural clinic – providing a ‘green and clean’ uninterrupted power supply. The system is linked to a solar PV system where access power from the solar PV passes through the electrolyser during the day to generate and store hydrogen gas, as shown in Figure 6. The hydrogen will power the fuel cell during the night to give the clinic the power it needs. The cost to deliver and provide such infrastructure to rural healthcare facilities
is still high, but expected to become competitive over a long-term energy supply scenario. Hydrogen fuel cell technology is an emerging technology in the Malaysian healthcare sector, and perhaps one day it will become widely available in both rural and urban healthcare facilities, given the positive development of the technology both locally and abroad.
Challenges and the way forward Around the world, many government mandates for sustainability already exist, as governments stipulate that buildings need to be more energy-efficient and sustainable. However, financial and time constraints, as well as lack of knowledge and awareness, are barriers that need to be continually addressed. Future retrofitting projects for government healthcare buildings require substantial funding to achieve energy efficiency and green building goals. Building technology systems for smart buildings, electric ambulances, waste to energy generation, and passive building retrofits, are among a number of future initiatives set to be implemented. Business models such as Energy Performance Contracting will continue to be an attractive choice for the MOH to decarbonise its healthcare facilities, and will continue to be expanded. Complementing this is the Replacement Through Maintenance programme (RTM), which allows FM companies to replace ageing medical equipment without going through the normal procurement hassle.
Human resource challenges There are also ongoing challenges in terms of human capital development, as there is increasing demand for experienced Facilities managers and technical / engineering personnel. The CHFM training programme will continue to play its role in upskilling both the existing and emerging workforce with the right skills and competencies. Sustainability workshops, roadshows, and user engagement from MOH at ground level – particularly with
clinical and other hospital staff and administrators – will need to be conducted to gain support for the sustainability practices. The energy consumption of a hospital building can be better managed and monitored via comparison with a target or benchmark, or that of another similar- sized building. MOH has been looking into this challenge by conducting important hospital energy benchmark studies. The initial study by MOH has shown that the government hospital building energy index is 172 kWh /m2
/ year. However, recent
energy research collaboration led by the Engineering Services Division at the MOH has established an energy benchmarking model based on multiple linear regression. This enables hospital buildings to assess their energy consumption against a predicted value. The study has also indicated that energy consumption in Malaysian hospitals is largely influenced by parameters such as air-conditioned floor area, the number of operating theatres available, the quantity of high energy- consuming medical equipment, and the energy consumed by lighting. The obvious conclusion, therefore, is that that energy efficiency initiatives and sustainable practices should focus on these areas to further reduce hospital carbon footprints.
The carbon accounting ‘challenge’ Another element that remains a challenge to the MOH is carbon accounting of its hospital facilities. However, efforts are ongoing to apply GHG protocols, collect data, and submit this to data to top management personnel, as soon as possible. A carbon neutral healthcare facility (2021-2050) blueprint is in development that will outline steps for carbon neutral facility planning, and an optimal carbon reduction strategy, without compromising the quality / availability of healthcare services. In parallel, there is ongoing work to reduce GHG emissions through energy efficiency measures, reducing demand for energy, switching
August 2023 Health Estate Journal 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
