Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T04:24:37.490Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Time for a Revolution: Smart Energy and Microgrid Use in Disaster Response

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2014

David Wayne Callaway ,
Erin Noste ,
Peter Woods McCahill ,
A.J. Rossman ,
Dominique Lempereur ,
Kathleen Kaney  and
Doug Swanson
David Wayne Callaway*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Operational and Disaster Medicine, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Erin Noste
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Operational and Disaster Medicine, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Peter Woods McCahill
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Operational and Disaster Medicine, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
A.J. Rossman
Affiliation:
SEWW Energy, Inc, Charlotte, North Carolina
Dominique Lempereur
Affiliation:
Department of Research, Lime Energy Co, Huntsville, North Carolina
Kathleen Kaney
Affiliation:
Department of Mobile Medicine, Carolinas HealthCare System, Charlotte, North Carolina
Doug Swanson
Affiliation:
Department of Mobile Medicine, Carolinas HealthCare System, Charlotte, North Carolina
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to David Wayne Callaway, MD, Carolinas Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine, Charlotte, NC 28203 (e-mail [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Modern health care and disaster response are inextricably linked to high volume, reliable, quality power. Disasters place major strain on energy infrastructure in affected communities. Advances in renewable energy and microgrid technology offer the potential to improve mobile disaster medical response capabilities. However, very little is known about the energy requirements of and alternative power sources in disaster response. A gap analysis of the energy components of modern disaster response reveals multiple deficiencies. The MED-1 Green Project has been executed as a multiphase project designed to identify energy utilization inefficiencies, decrease demands on diesel generators, and employ modern energy management strategies to expand operational independence. This approach, in turn, allows for longer deployments in potentially more austere environments and minimizes the unit's environmental footprint. The ultimate goal is to serve as a proof of concept for other mobile medical units to create strategies for energy independence. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1–8)

Keywords

disaster medicineemergency preparednessfield hospitalsnatural disastersdelivery of health care
Type
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 8 , Issue 3 , June 2014 , pp. 252 - 259
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Neuman, S. Superstorm shines a light on power grid vulnerabilities [blog]. National Public Radio; the two-way. October 30, 2012. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/10/30/163970272/superstorm-shines-a-light-on-power-grid-vulnerabilities.Google Scholar
2.Domm, P. Why East Coast gas shortages may not end for a week. CNBC.com. Market Insider; November 1, 2012. http://www.cnbc.com/id/49642174.Google Scholar
3.García Sanz-Calcedo, J, Cuadros, F, López Rodríguez, F. Energy audit: a management tool in health centers [in Spanish]. Gac Sanit. 2011;25(6):549-551.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Santamouris, M, Dascalaki, E, Balaras, CA, Argiriou, A, Gaglia, A. Energy performance and energy conservation in health care buildings in Greece. Energy Conversion Manage. 1994;35(4):293-305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Bernal-Agustín, JL, Dufo-López, R. Simulation and optimization of stand-alone hybrid renewable energy systems. Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2009;13(8):2111-2118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Lysiak, M, Sandoval, E, Smith, GB, Mcshane, L. Hurricane Sandy leaves frenzy for gas, though help on way: massive tanker sails to New York Harbor as delay hits 16 hours at one Brooklyn gas station. New York Daily News. November 3, 2012. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hurricane-sandy-leaves-frenzy-gas-article-1.1196282. Accessed October 29, 2013.Google Scholar
7.Halupke, K. Lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy. Paper presented at: National Association of EMS Officials Annual Meeting; September 19, 2013; Nashville, TN.Google Scholar
8.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths associated with Hurricane Sandy — October–November 2012. MMWR Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep. 2013;62(20):393-397; http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6220a1.htm. Accessed October 29, 2013.Google Scholar
9.Redlener, I, Reilly, MJ. Lessons from Sandy – preparing health systems for future disasters. N Engl J Med. 2012;376(24):2269-2271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10.Young, William Jr. Photovoltaic Applications for Disaster Relief. Publication number FSEC-849-95. Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, FL. Nov. 1995.Google Scholar
11.Blackwell, T, Bosse, M. Use of an innovative design mobile hospital in the medical response to Hurricane Katrina. Ann Emerg Med. 2007;49:580-588.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed