Ambulance services are finding that they can save money and reduce environmental impact with units equipped with solar panels. Richmond Ambulance Authority reduced fuel consumption and extended battery life when they equipped 40 ambulances with solar panels.
Dan Fellows won the National EMS10 Award for his innovative approach to using solar energy to supplement the electrical needs of ambulances.
In an interview with Excellance last year asking about how the concept came about Fellows replied:
“The concept came from the need to have a resource vehicle’s battery charged in a location without access to a shore line. The most effective possibility was solar. After installation and testing, it was found the solution worked exceptionally well, and a trial was implemented to test the effect on standard Type III ambulances. Data was collected and the findings were very encouraging so the decision was made to continue installing the solar to the remaining Type III fleet. Receiving the EMS 10 award was very humbling for me as the solution was created out of necessity and to be honored by my peers in EMS is very gratifying.”
Ambulance services are now considering adding solar panels to their units thanks to innovators like Dan Fellows of the Richmond Ambulance Authority. Williamson Medical Center recently added solar panels to their new units, and we hope more services consider the feature for their future ambulance purchases.