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Case Study: Pierce College
Solar Power and Microturbine Cogeneration Project
Background
Founded in 1947, Pierce College is a comprehensive college with more than 100
disciplines being taught to more than 18,000 students each semester. The college
is a two-year public institution providing opportunities for occupational training,
transfer education, and life-long learning. It is one of nine campuses of the Los
Angeles Community College District (LACCD).
The nine community colleges within the LACCD are transforming into 21st
century gateways to opportunity through new construction, modernization
and renovation projects that are funded by Propositions A and AA, which were
overwhelmingly approved by LACCD voters. Both Pierce College and the LACCD
have made a firm commitment to renewable power and sustainable building
practices. In March 2002, the LACCD Board of Trustees adopted a districtwide
policy to incorporate LEED-certified “green building” standards into the campus
improvements funded by Propositions A and AA. LACCD was the first community
college district in the nation to adopt such a far-reaching policy and will
construct 40 green buildings over the next decade. Consistent with the Board’s
policy on sustainable design, many colleges are exploring and implementing
projects that incorporate on-site generation.
Solution
Through a performance contract with Chevron Energy Solutions, Pierce College
in 2003 completed the installation of a 191-kilowatt on-site solar photovoltaic
generation system and a 360-kilowatt cogeneration system comprised of six
60–kilowatt microturbines. The contract also included the design and installation
of an efficient heat recovery system that captures waste energy from four
previously installed 30 kilowatt microturbines to heat the college’s outdoor pool.
The solar generation system is an innovative carport structure. Covering 20,000 square feet of the
college’s parking lot, the solar array provides power to the campus by converting
sunlight directly into electricity, and provides shade and overhead protection for
80 vehicles. The natural gas-fueled microturbine cogeneration system produces
electricity for the campus and recovers waste energy that is used to chill water
for campus air conditioning. This system will also provide backup generation
capacity in the event of an outage on the local utility system.
Together the systems are generating about 4.4 million kilowatt-hours a year—enough energy to power approximately 600 homes. The $4.1 million project cost
was offset by over $2 million in state and municipal rebates, and the balance was
paid with funding from Proposition A.
Benefits
As a result of the performance contract and rebates, the college was able to
retain capital funds that now can be applied towards other critical needs, such
as education. In addition, the solar generation and microturbine systems will
reduce the college’s electricity purchases by about 30 percent and its energy
costs by about $180,000 annually. They will also reduce the college’s demand for
purchased power during peak periods by about 25 percent. Meanwhile, the heat
recovery system, in addition to heating the pool, is enhancing the efficiency of
the microturbine system.
The solar photovoltaic and cogeneration systems spare the environment from thousands
of tons of emissions that contribute to smog, acid rain and global climate change. Over their 30-year
operating life, the systems will displace power that would have been produced by
conventional power plants, and will thereby help prevent emissions of 13,000 tons
of carbon dioxide. These avoided emissions are equivalent to planting
3,700 acres of trees or removing more than 2,600 cars from the roadways of Los Angeles.
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