IVC completes green energy retrofit

December 5, 2005

After 18 months of converting its heating, ventilation, air conditioning and power generating equipment to an integrated, state-of-the-art energy-saving system, the college Irvine Valley College has completed the installation of innovative energy technologies that are designed to preserve the environment, conserve energy and reduce costs while greatly improving service across the campus.
Through a performance contract with Chevron Energy Solutions, a division of Chevron U.S.A., Inc., IVC is putting in place energy-saving and energy-producing components of its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment; energy management controls; lighting; and distributed generation infrastructure. The contract includes the design and installation of high efficiency lighting, an effective heat recovery system that will capture waste heat from four soon-to-be-installed 60-kilowatt microturbines, and a solar generation system for the Hart Gymnasium, which is the costliest power consumer on campus.
“IVC is proud to be a part of the global effort to preserve our environment,” said college President Glenn Roquemore. “This energy retrofit ensures that we are an environmentally conscious college. It is part of our strategy for preserving the beauty of our campus and the community of Irvine, while we improve efficiency and save our taxpayers dollars.”
The solar generation system—a component of the college’s distributed generation structure—is based on advanced photovoltaic panels that will generate free electricity for the college while producing zero emissions. Covering 7,200 square feet of the gym’s south facing roof, the solar panels convert sunlight directly into electricity, are virtually maintenance free, and have a proven useful life of 25 years.
Since the Hart Gymnasium is a multi-use athletics facility with classrooms and labs, it is in constant use and is by virtue of its size a huge consumer of electricity. With a field of 210 solar panels, generating 58-kilowatts of free electricity, IVC will save as much as $1,000 a day in cooling costs for the gym and an adjacent building. The solar panels will also augment new variable-frequency motor drives that will be part of the HVAC retrofit. Four turbines at 60 KW each.
Along with solar power, IVC’s distributed generation structure will include a natural gas-fueled microturbine system to produce electricity for the college. The microturbines are designed to co-generate energy by recovering the wasted heat they produce through an absorption chiller and using it to cool water for air conditioning and other uses; they also work in tandem with a heat exchanger to provide heating. And, in case of a municipal power failure, the microturbines can be used as backup generators.
Much of the heating and air conditioning equipment at the college is based on 60s-era technology that must be replaced to meet current and future emission standards. In order to be compatible with more efficient technologies, the domestic boilers and hot water heaters are being replaced, lighting systems throughout campus are being upgraded, and high efficiency motors are being installed to decrease maintenance and extend equipment life while saving costs. Additionally, low-flow toilets and an intelligent irrigation system that senses soil moisture are being installed to save water costs.
Together the systems will generate about 920,000 kilowatt-hours per year, enough energy to power approximately 100 average homes. It is expected that when the project is completed it will reduce the college’s energy costs by 24-percent annually. The energy retrofit cost $5.4 million, some of which was offset by loans, grants and rebates.