Maryland Acute Care Hospital Lowers Emissions and Improves Resilience with New Microgrid

An acute-care treatment and teaching hospital in western Maryland has strengthened its mission-critical energy resiliency with a new microgrid completed.

In October, Meritus Health launched a new microgrid that will keep the hospital operational during grid outages. The renewable energy and combined heat and power (CHP) system is located at the Meritus Medical Center, a 327-plus bed hospital in Hagerstown.

The multi-phased project, which will include future energy and water efficiency upgrades, is expected to reduce energy costs by about $1.6 million annually.

The microgrid features 1,917 rooftop solar panels, which will generate in excess of 1.4 MWh of electricity, as well as a redundant 2.4 MW CHP generation plant.

A high-efficiency absorption chiller will convert the CHP system’s waste heat into chilled water, which will cool the facility. The system also includes electric vehicle chargers.

An intelligent microgrid controls platform will control the system’s components.

Caring for the community

“We want to be good stewards of our community and our environment,” said David Lehr, chief strategy officer for Meritus. “Installing this equipment allows us to continue serving the community in times of power loss, plus it reduces our carbon footprint.”

Hospital microgrids were a hot topic at the 2025 Microgrid Knowledge conference in Dallas this year, for good reason.

The healthcare sector accounts for approximately 8.5% of all U.S. carbon emissions, most of which (35%) can be attributed to hospital care. This is a significant issue for an industry driven by the principle “first, do no harm.”

Studies show that carbon emissions have multiple adverse impacts on health and can lead to long-term respiratory issues and cardiovascular disease.

Hospitals and healthcare organizations from California to Florida and Wisconsin are increasingly turning to renewables and microgrids to lower emissions and improve air quality in the communities they serve. For example, Loma Linda University in California turned on its 3 MW solar and energy storage microgrid in August.

The Meritus microgrid is expected to avoid 2,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Local funding, local partners, local focus

Meritus Health is one of the region’s largest health care providers, serving more than 200,000 residents in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and employing more than 4,000 people.

The health system partnered with Maryland-based energy infrastructure firm FESCO Energy and other local vendors to design and build the microgrid.

Feasibility studies, preconstruction and capital costs were covered by grants from the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) and other rebates. All told the health system received over $1 million from the MEA.

In May 2024, the Microgrid Knowledge Conference was held in Maryland at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront Hotel. Part of the discussion around the intent of microgrids was the “islanding” aspect to utilize energy assets when the grid is down, which is paramount for mission critical services such as health care.