*This article is part of the Green Week initiative of bTV
The 12th polyclinic in Sofia pays 1.50 lv. per month for electricity. How do they get green energy from photovoltaic installations?
Water, wind, sun - the renewable sources from which electricity is produced, besides being cheaper, are also much more environmentally friendly.
Proof that they are entering our lives more and more often is the 12th polyclinic, which runs entirely on energy from the sun, thanks to the photovoltaic installations built on the roofs of the two bases of the medical institution.
"The main benefit to our medical facility is that these PV installations take a very large percentage of the electricity we use during daylight hours. We have a magnetic resonance here, we have a CT scanner, two X-rays, we have quite a bit of other equipment, we have one X-ray in the other base", Dr. Vasil Vassilev, manager of the hospital, explained.
The system is monitored by an online application. During the midday hours, when the sunshine is at its strongest, the medical facility even manages to sell electricity.
Experts say PV installations like those at the 12th Polyclinic are crucial to dealing with climate change, which is already being felt in Bulgaria as well.
"Extreme weather events. Very strong, very shocking, we see floods, we even see tornadoes in Bulgaria. Some weather phenomena that are not typical, but we are witnessing them. In the winter, which is significantly milder, with less snowfall, the effect of this is reflected in our lives - the drought, the water crisis, which is related not only to poor management, but also the persistent trends of climate change to drought", Meglena Rusenova, Chair of the Board of the Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association explained.
According to Eurostat, last year the share of renewable electricity in the European Union averaged around 48%.
The leading countries are Iceland and Norway, which, although not EU members, are part of the European Economic Area. Both countries reach a 100% share of renewable energy.
Denmark, Croatia and Austria are also at the top. Of these 29 countries, Bulgaria ranks 22nd, followed by countries such as Poland and France.
Although Luxembourg is among the richest countries on the continent, it is last in this ranking. Only 5% of the energy it produces is renewable.
In the European Union, green energy comes mainly from wind power, followed by hydro and solar power.
Green energy is proving key to a sustainable future, providing a clean, renewable and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels.
Source: bTV News
