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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Gas Co., Reagan Library Push Energy Efficiency Systems

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, one of its more important features cannot be found in the exhibits on the 40th president’s life and political career. Outside the glass-walled pavilion housing the jet that took Reagan on overseas visits are 16 micro-turbines that provide the power for the entire facility from which the heat exhaust from the turbines is then captured and used in the air condition system for the Air Force One Pavilion. Library Executive Director Duke Blackwood said the use of the micro-turbines brings economical benefits, is good for the environment and a more efficient way to generate electricity. “It’s the right thing to do even with the high price of natural gas,” Blackwood said. “I would encourage like facilities to consider this type of system because it’s such a positive.” The library and museum were rewarded for their effort at energy efficiency by The Gas Co. through a $823,000 incentive check that will go toward offsetting the $3.5 million cost of the turbine system. The system went online in October when the Air Force One Pavilion was opened. The library estimates that the cost savings over five to seven years will recoup what was spent for the system, Blackwood said. The self-generation incentive program the museum participated in is just one of three offered to businesses through the California Public Utilities Commission and administered by the state’s four utilities, including The Gas Co., said Andy Carrasco, a company spokesman. It is the company’s hope that a high-profile user such as a presidential library will spur businesses to try similar measures that promote efficiency and independence from utilities, Carrasco said. “This is one of the largest projects for the company that highlights co-generation,” Carrasco said. The 16 micro-turbines made by Chatsworth-based Capstone Turbine Co. will generate 95 percent of the electricity used by the museum and library campus. Other incentive programs for businesses involve the use of solar energy, wind turbines, and renewable fuel cells to reach a goal of a savings of $5 billion statewide in energy costs. “The name of the game over the next three years is energy efficiency and conservation,” Carrasco said.

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