June 30, 2004—Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) announced that it will receive a donation valued at more than $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Southern California Gas Company for an absorption chiller and cooling tower that will reduce the capital cost for the college’s new central plant, as well as improve energy efficiency and reduce the college’s dependence on the Southern California power grid.
Fueled by natural gas and waste heat from a 120-kilowatt (kW) microturbine generator, the 310-ton absorption chiller and 800-ton cooling tower will produce approximately 25 percent of the total cooling requirements for the campus. The total system will reduce the college’s electrical demand by approximately 320 kW, which is enough energy to power approximately 80 homes.
The chiller and cooling tower were provided free of charge to the college as part of a five-year demonstration agreement in which The Gas Company will help the college increase system reliability and reduce energy costs in exchange for allowing the utility to monitor the performance of the equipment and share the results with other interested parties.
The Gas Company and the DOE are loaning the system for a four-year period for building cooling, heating and power technology deployment. LAHC will purchase the microturbine and pay installation costs for the co-generation system.
Scheduled to become operational by October 2005, the new system is one of several environmental improvements planned for LAHC. The college also is relocating its electrical substation, upgrading its electrical system by installing photovoltaic solar panels and improving water efficiencies on campus. In addition, several new facilities that will be constructed on campus will be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED(TM)). The LEED-certified buildings will be equipped with energy-efficient features such as insulated roofs with high thermal insulation values, operable windows with sensing devices that automatically turn off air conditioning systems when opened, ultra-low wattage lighting and energy-saving mechanical equipment.
