Creating a Greener Outpatient MRI Facility: Enhancing Sustainability and Energy Efficiency through Fast Imaging Techniques

Motivation: Reducing MRI acquisition time has the potential to improve energy efficiency, decrease electricity costs, and lower associated carbon emissions. Goal(s): To evaluate the impact of implementing fast MRI techniques on energy consumption, electricity costs, and carbon savings for four commonly performed MRI examinations. Approach: We compared scan times, energy usage, and cost in four identical outpatient 70-cm-bore 3T MRI scanners before and after implementing fast MR techniques. Results: Accelerated MRI sequences resulted in a 20%-62% reduction in scan time. Corresponding energy savings ranged from 3.69-12.59 kWh per scan, with cost reductions of up to 62% and carbon-savings of up to 59%. Impact: The implementation of fast MRI sequences significantly reduced the acquisition times for common outpatient MRI protocols, leading to higher energy efficiency during active net scan time and system-on modes and ultimately substantial sustainability and cost-saving potential.