6/14/2024 11:20:50 AM by SSM Health
Photo credit: Ameren Missouri
SSM Health is increasing its commitment to environmental sustainability by expanding its participation in Ameren Missouri’s Renewable Solutions program.
Ameren received approval this week from the Missouri Public Service Commission to acquire a 150-megawatt solar facility under construction in Illinois’ Cass County, which will begin generating energy by the end of 2024. The expansion means that 58 percent of electricity across all SSM Health facilities in Missouri will come from solar power.
The move is part of a multi-year, solar energy initiative that will significantly reduce SSM Health’s carbon footprint, one that began with the installation of a field of solar panels next to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Centralia in Centralia, Illinois. The solar plans will eventually encompass facilities across the four states in which SSM Health serves.
“We’re in the process of completing construction of solar fields in Illinois and have begun similar work in Wisconsin and Oklahoma,” said Gerry Kaiser, SSM Health Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate. “The opportunity to expand our involvement with Ameren helps us increase our commitment to renewable energy in a major way for our Missouri facilities.”
The project also will help SSM Health fulfill its November 2022 commitment to the White House’s climate pledge for health care organizations to become carbon-neutral by 2050.
SSM Health has been a pioneer in the preservation of the earth for more than 25 years, beginning by significantly reducing the use of plastic water bottles in its facilities. The health system has also been active in diverting hundreds of tons of surgical waste from landfills, designing facilities with the use of green and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, planting trees, and investing in funds that promote environmentally friendly practices.
Other major companies participating in the Ameren solar program include Walmart, World Wide Technology, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Mastercard, bioMerieux and Air Products.
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