Electrified hospitals: what they are and how Equans delivered the first all-electric facility in the Netherlands
Electrified hospitals: what they are and how Equans delivered the first all-electric facility in the Netherlands
Tomorrow’s hospitals will thrive on clean electricity. Step by step, renewable energy is replacing fossil fuels, powering every system with efficiency and care. As gas heating and traditional fuel sources give way to electric solutions, hospitals are moving closer to carbon neutrality while ensuring patient comfort and operational excellence.
Isala Hospital in Meppel broke new ground as the Netherlands' first fully electrified hospital. No gas connections exist anywhere in the building, and renewable energy sources handle all power needs.
Equans brought the vision from concept to reality. Our expertise in integrated energy systems and smart infrastructure enabled Isala to pioneer this sustainable healthcare centre. Today, the hospital serves as a model for how advanced hospital electrical systems can deliver peak performance in a low-carbon world. The project has set the benchmark for public and private organisations navigating their own carbon reduction mandates.
What is a fully electric hospital?
A fully electric hospital runs entirely on electricity, eliminating all dependency on fossil fuels. Every system – from heating and cooling to critical medical equipment – draws power from renewable sources. The premises use solar panels, geothermal networks and electric heat pumps to create a comprehensive clean energy solution.
Healthcare facilities face unique energy challenges. Hospitals operate 24/7 with life-critical systems that demand constant power. Traditional facilities burn natural gas for heating and rely on backup diesel generators. The fully electric approach, on the other hand, transforms this model, replacing fossil fuels with renewable electricity across all operations.
Smart technology is further enhancing this transformation. Building Management Systems (BMS) monitor energy consumption in real-time and automatically optimise performance, while battery storage systems provide backup power without diesel generators. Through these technologies, hospital electrical infrastructure gains efficiency and delivers the rock-solid reliability that keeps patients safe.
Fully electric infrastructure: how it works
Isala Hospital runs on 100% electricity. Zero gas connections. Every system, from surgical suite climate control to patient room heating, draws power from the grid or generates it on-site.
The backbone of the hospital electrical infrastructure relies on all-electric heat pumps paired with underground aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES). Imagine two underground reservoirs at different temperatures. The summer heat gets pumped down to warm reservoirs, whereas the winter cold flows into cool reservoirs. Then, heat pumps are used to extract the stored thermal energy from either system depending on seasonal needs. The hospital can tap into this stored energy all year round, flattening demand spikes that would otherwise strain the grid.
On-site solar panels and geothermal systems feed the hospital's demand for clean power. Geothermal taps stable underground temperatures that remain constant year-round. In tandem, a smart BMS orchestrates the entire operation, adjusting temperature and lighting based on current demand patterns.
Exceptional energy efficiency and sustainability
EPC 0 certification means energy neutral. Isala produces what it consumes.
The numbers tell the full story: 1,800 solar panels generate renewable electricity, and underground reservoirs store excess thermal energy. The hospital electrical infrastructure cuts 1,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually – equivalent to removing 200 cars from Dutch roads.
The installation transcends sustainability metrics and redefines what's possible for healthcare infrastructure.
A smart & sustainable healthcare environment
Modular design redefines how medical facilities can adapt to evolving healthcare requirements. The hospital's architecture responds to change rather than resisting it, reconfiguring spaces to accommodate new treatment protocols, expanded departments or technological advances, without requiring wholesale reconstruction. Medical needs evolve constantly, and the building evolves with them.
Adaptable architecture forms just one layer of the hospital's responsive design. In addition, climate control assists patient recovery and staff effectiveness through precise environmental management. Continuous monitoring systems track air quality, temperature and humidity across each zone, creating micro-environments matched to specific medical functions. Operating theatres maintain sterile conditions, while patient rooms optimise comfort for healing. Furthermore, airborne infection risks decrease due to targeted ventilation strategies that isolate and neutralise potential contaminants.
The digital twin framework is used to establish smart operational control. The hospital's systems, from electrical loads to HVAC performance, generate continuous data streams that reveal patterns invisible to conventional monitoring. In addition, predictive algorithms identify component stress before failure occurs and trigger maintenance interventions to preserve critical functions.
All equipment operates within optimal parameters, while maintenance teams work according to smart insights rather than reactive schedules.
Equans' role in the project
Equans engineered the fossil-fuel-free energy infrastructure for Isala Meppel through a consortium partnership with Trebbe and Dura Vermeer (TDE). A co-creation approach turned sustainable hospital ambitions into an operational reality across one of the Netherlands' most advanced medical facilities.
The 17,690 m² facility runs without any gas connections. Solar panels generate primary power, and ground-source heat pumps extract geothermal energy for heating and cooling. Meanwhile, underground thermal storage is used to create temperature buffers that regulate climate control throughout the site’s various medical departments.
Our engineering team also had to address one particular critical challenge: power continuity. Hospital operations cannot pause when there is a power cut. The solution required backup systems and redundant energy flows to preserve patient care during grid interruptions. As a result, every component of the hospital electrical infrastructure meets healthcare-grade reliability standards on pure renewable sources.
The project structure rewards long-term vision, and Equans holds responsibility for 25 years of maintenance and operations. Our design choices directly affect future performance costs. Poor initial decisions would only place a burden on our own operational teams later, so we seek solutions that will demonstrate their value for decades to come.
The fully electric hospital model: proven and scalable
Isala Meppel operates as a specialised, patient-centric facility for ageing populations across a broad geographical region. Its energy system meets the needs of its main demographic, supporting advanced geriatric care and providing essential adaptability for healthcare operations. The hospital’s electrical infrastructure further underscores that fully electric hospitals are moving beyond mere conceptual possibility towards a demonstrable healthcare achievement.
