Within the project "Renewable Energy Solutions for the PHI Clinical Hospital in Bitola, Republic of North Macedonia," high-level expert support from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and local expert support plays a vital role in implementing proposed energy efficiency improvements, solar energy supply, and heat pumps. Bitola and the surrounding Pelagonia Valley region have faced economic challenges since the fall of the Soviet Union, leading to job losses and emigration. Investments in critical infrastructure have become increasingly complex, impacting the quality of life and contributing to further emigration. The PHI Clinical Hospital in Bitola serves over 300,000 patients annually but relies heavily on fossil fuels for energy, contributing to high CO2 emissions and local air pollution. The hospital's outdated oil boiler and reliance on coal-fired electricity from an obsolete thermal power plant highlight the urgency for renewable energy solutions.
The project aims to replace the hospital's energy supply with a state-of-the-art renewable system, incorporating solar photovoltaics and electrically driven heat pumps. This transition will significantly reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling, generate half of the hospital's energy needs through on-site solar power, and slash CO2 emissions by at least 50%. Beyond benefiting the hospital, the project is a lighthouse for renewable energy education and training.
The initiative aims to foster growth in renewable and sustainable technologies by engaging local decision-makers and students, creating economic opportunities within North Macedonia.
The project was implemented by master students Francisco Beltran, Lesley Fischer, and others, supervised by Nelson Sommerfeld, PhD candidate and researcher, and other experts from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. It was supported by Hand till Hand, Clinical Hospital Dr Trifun Panovski Bitola, the Municipality of Bitola, and Goran Nedelkov. These stakeholders collaborated to bring about meaningful change, paving the way for the region's greener and more sustainable future."
