Since 2020, Vithas, a major Spanish hospital group, has been quietly leading the way on clean energy, becoming the first hospital group in Spain to run entirely on certified renewable electricity and achieve carbon neutrality in gas and electricity.
With 20 hospitals and 39 medical centres across 14 provinces, Vithas plays a major role in the country’s health system, showing just how powerful the environmental impact can be when healthcare puts climate and health at the centre of decision-making. Vithas supports over 6.4 million patient interactions each year, with 12,600 health professionals and nearly 2,000 hospital beds.
Source: https://www.ohla-group.com/
In 2022 alone, Vithas invested over €568,000 (around $930,000 AUD) in environmental projects, most notably, the installation of rooftop solar panels across five hospitals.Together, those panels generated over 662,000 kilowatts per hour (kWh) of clean energy in a single year. That’s enough electricity to power roughly 220 Australian homes.
Here’s a breakdown of what each hospital generated:
- Vithas Aguas Vivas Hospital (Valencia): 231,071 kWh - 36.8% of its total electricity use
- Vithas Alicante: 49.781 kWh - 5.1%
- Vithas Sevilla: 197,032 - 5.4%
- Vithas Las Palmas: 18,959 kWh - 1.8%
- Vithas Xanit Internacional de Benalmádena (Málaga): 165,670 kWh - 5.8%
These are strong first steps, but they also highlight how far we still need to go. While solar now makes up more than a third of energy use at one site, most hospitals are still only meeting around 5% of their needs this way. For a healthcare sector facing climate disruption, accelerating this transition isn’t just smart; it’s urgent.
Source: https://vithas.es/en/center/vithas-alicante-hospital/
Thankfully, Vithas is continuing to expand. A new solar installation is planned for Hospital Universitario Vithas Madrid Aravaca, which is expected to generate 520,000 kWh annually, which is equivalent to powering 160 houses. It’s part of a broader push to reduce non-renewable energy use by 33%, increase energy efficiency by 32% and ensure that 40% of Vithas’ energy consumption is net-zero by 2025.
Beyond energy, Vithas is also expanding its pilot water-saving project, currently used for water recycling and the sterilisation of medical material with recycled water. This project is currently only present at one hospital; however, it has the potential to save up to 21 Olympic swimming pools of water if expanded across its network.
These actions are already having an impact. In just one year, Vithas has cut its carbon footprint by 42%, reducing emissions from 180,617.44 tonnes of CO₂ to 105,263.65 tonnes in 2023. That’s like taking nearly 33,000 cars off the road.
It’s a powerful reminder: hospitals don’t just treat the health effects of climate change; they can help prevent them, too. And with the right support, electrifying healthcare isn’t a distant dream. It’s already happening.
Source: https://www.uehp.eu/corners/vithas-first-carbon-neutral-hospital-group-in-electricity-and-natural-gas-consumption/