Health Care Sector & First Responder Electric Vehicle (EV) Resiliency Zones

Health Care Sector & First Responder Electric Vehicle (EV) Resiliency Zones When electric grids are down, many gas stations are unable to dispense fuel. This fueling problem can prevent health care sector workers, and first responders, from powering the vehicles they use to commute to health and safety related employment and volunteer stations. Fortunately, there is a two-part, 24/7/365, off-grid solution that can power vehicles that health care sector workers, and first responders, use for their commutes. Part 1: help health care sector employees and first responders switch to electric vehicles (EVs). Part 2 : build numerous, off-grid capable, local solar powered, EV Resiliency Zones. These special facilities will recharge health care sector and first responder electric vehicles when the grid is down, facilitating full staffing and stability in community health and safety.

These special 24/7/365 EV Resiliency Zones start with extensive hyper-local solar arrays. The solar arrays can be parking lot canopies, roof top installations, and/or ground mount systems. To create these Resiliency Zones we add energy storage, EV charging stations, and islanding capability so the system works when the electric grid is down. Some communities will use wind instead of solar.

Many communities will need multiple Resiliency Zone installations. There are a few reasons for this:

1) Depending on the size of a community, when the grid is down it may take a lot of hyper-localsolar plus energy storage to recharge all the community's health care/first responder EVs.

2) We never know what part of a community will be hardest hit by a storm. A storm could temporarily sideline one or two Health Care Sector & First Responder EV charging solar arrays or windmills. Because of this, it could be in the best interest of communities to build multiple Health Care Sector & First Responder EV Resiliency Zones scattered around the local county. Then, if a storm damages a solar array or windmill in one place, Resiliency Zones in other locations can pick up the slack.

For the purpose of these Resiliency Zones, health care sector employees include anyone who needs to get to work to assist with community health in any capacity. This broad definition includes all who work in hospitals, nursing/rehab facilities, group homes, medical supply and medical testing manufacture, pharmacies, public animal shelters, USPS, and more.

Because these Zones assist with public health and safety, communities would benetit from public utility ownership of the solar/wind, batteries and EV charging. Public utility ownership can help ensure the projects will remain community focused and can save money in construction, operations/maintenance.

Communities are encouraged to develop one master plan outlining all Health Care Sector and First Responder EV Resiliency Zones that the community anticipates needing. Communities are also ncouraged to use existing parking lots and existing buildings for the hyper-local solar. Examples include medical facilities, colleges/universities, public schools, fair grounds, park and ride lots, and other areas with extensive already built parking lots and large flat roof tops. When electric grids are up are running, publicly located EV rechargers can be for general public use.

Rockland Goes Green: web: www.RocklandGoesGreen.org e-mail: RocklandGoesGreen@aol.com