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For more than five years, Albany Medical Center has been a leader in bringing clean energy into the healthcare setting, partnering with Nexamp to reduce operating costs and support clean energy development across New York. As one of the region’s largest academic medical institutions — with a major hospital, medical college, and a network of affiliate facilities — Albany Medical Center’s early move into community solar has generated meaningful financial savings and helped advance broader sustainability goals at a time when the healthcare sector is under tremendous financial pressure.

“Finances with hospitals are very tough right now,” said Karen Seward, Director of Energy Management at Albany Medical Center. “We need to keep our budgets as low as possible. The savings from Nexamp have allowed us to have more funds available for maintenance improvements and other efficiency updates, like insulation upgrades, steam trap surveying, and lighting improvements.” Over the course of the partnership, Albany Medical Center’s savings have been growing steadily year over year, and they’re on track to save $150,000 in 2025 alone.

Internally, the program has also raised awareness among employees and students around the institution’s commitment to sustainability. “Employees are very impressed and often surprised to know that we participate in solar energy,” Karen said. “They’re happy to hear that we are moving the department forward by investing in clean energy.” The initial enrollment of roughly 75 staff members and students sparked interest across the organization, and leadership is now exploring a renewed offering, especially as new employees, new student cohorts, and affiliate hospitals represent a fresh audience for participation.

The success of the partnership at Albany Medical Center has also led to broader adoption across its health system. “Inspired by our success, other hospitals in our network have turned to community solar to help manage rising financial pressures,” Karen shared. This ripple effect reflects the institution’s role as a regional leader in sustainability and demonstrates how Nexamp’s low-friction model enables peer and partner hospitals to benefit from the same stability and cost savings easily.

Throughout the partnership, Karen emphasized the strong support received from the Nexamp team. “It’s been a very positive experience, with great support from all Nexamp personnel,” she said. When asked what advice she would give to other hospitals or large energy consumers considering community solar, her message was simple: “An enthusiastic yes. Do it right now.”

Nexamp is thrilled to be able to call Albany Medical Center and its affiliated hospitals long-term partners, and is proud to be helping these pillars of the Capital Region’s healthcare community achieve meaningful energy savings for years to come.

As the largest community solar developer in New York, Nexamp is uniquely positioned to help customers of all sizes meet their fiscal and environmental goals. As we continue to expand our solar farms, we look forward to building more partnerships with businesses and communities around the country.