• Posted: December 7, 2022
• Advocate South Suburban Hospital, Austin Rennick, Elbert Walters III, Illinois Solar for All Program, Jamie Cvikel, Joel Belseth, Noah Kelliher, Pieper Electric, Renewable Energy, RJL Group, Solar installation, Sustainability funding, The Power of Better

In the second episode of The Power of Better — the new YouTube Show hosted by Powering Chicago’s Executive Director Elbert Walters III — viewers get an inside look at how one major medical facility is taking part in green energy projects in hopes of being powered by 100% renewable energy by 2030.

The first segment of episode two showcases the implementation of solar energy as a solution for powering the high-tech hospital and buildings hosting the latest advanced medical equipment.

Solar panel installation project

Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Illinois, is installing an advanced solar field consisting of 1,400 panels in order to generate affordable, clean power for the medical facility. Two major benefits of the hospital embracing renewable energy sources include:

• Decreasing the hospital’s carbon footprint 
• Removing some of the electrical demand from the community grid which will help drive down costs

Aside from the increased sustainability and cost savings solar fields will add to the medical facility, Director of Facilities Operations at Advocate South Suburban Hospital, Austin Rennick says the impact on the overall health of the community is a top focus as well.

“Advocate Aurora has a goal to be 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030,” Rennick said. “So it ties directly back to the health of our patients and our populations. A healthier environment from renewable electricity leads to healthier patients, healthier population.”

Thanks to government-backed rebates and more, organizations in Chicago and Cook County are able to set, and make progress to achieve, bold green energy goals. For this particular project, Rennick helped finance it with the Illinois Solar for All program.

Illinois Solar for All program

The first segment not only covers the installation process of the solar panel field, but also how Advocate South was able to use the Illinois Solar for All program to help fund portions of the project.

The Illinois Solar for All program directly targets communities that are considered income-eligible or environmental justice communities. Residential properties, properties that house nonprofits and public facilities, and community solar projects are able to benefit from this program.

With these funds, Rennick was able to hire top solar experts, in a joint venture project including electrical contractor Pieper Electric.

“Three years exclusively I’ve been doing nothing but solar,” Pieper Electric Project Manager, Noah Kelliher said. “So, a lot of those projects we’ve gone up to about six megawatts on a single installation.”

Once the 1,400 solar panels are installed, Advocate South plans on installing another 1,400-panel solar array adjacent to the first set.

Throughout the episode, you’ll hear from renewable energy experts and their customers including:

• Austin Rennick, Director of Facilities Operations at Advocate South Suburban Hospital
• Joel Belseth, RJL Group Foreman
• Noah Kelliher, Pieper Electric Project Manager
• Jamie Cvikel, Pieper Electric General Foreman

The Power of Better continues to highlight innovation, technology, and process improvements within the electrical industry. Subscribe to Powering Chicago’s YouTube channel to watch the second episode now.