Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) recently completed a solar storage system at Cooper that supplies renewable energy to the PSE&G electric grid and provides back-up power to a portion of the Sheridan Pavilion in the event of a power outage.
The Cooper solar storage project, which is part of the utility’s Solar 4 All® program, combines a 218 kilowatt-dc rooftop solar system with a battery storage system. During normal operation, the solar system provides power directly to the PSE&G electric grid while the battery storage system mitigates the impact of solar on the grid. If there is a power outage, the solar panels and batteries provide backup power to refrigeration units that store vital pediatric medicines.
“As the leading academic tertiary care health system in South Jersey and the region’s only state-designated Level I Trauma Center, the community relies on Cooper University Health Care in every eventuality,” said Stephanie D. Conners, MBA, BSN, NEA-BC, Senior Executive Vice President and Hospital Chief Operating Officer and System Chief Nursing Officer at Cooper University Health Care. “This environmentally-friendly solar storage system will help us continue to provide needed care even during power outages, which is critical for our patients and the community.”