It’s no secret that Cal State Long Beach uses a lot of energy, but the university may start generating some of its own.
Southern California Edison (SCE), which supplies electricity for much of Southern California, recently unveiled plans to build fuel cell sites powered by natural gas at three California universities, including CSULB.
The proposed fuel cell would provide about 1.4 megawatts of power, or about one-tenth of the university’s peak electricity needs, according to Robert Quirk, director of Facilities Management. Cal State San Bernardino would receive a similar power plant, while University of California, Santa Barbara would get a smaller, 200-kilowatt plant.
Fuel cell power plants use hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity via an electrochemical process, instead of the combustion of fossil fuels. This means that although fossil fuels can still be used, emissions are much lower because the fuels are not burned.
“It’s not green power per se because we utilize natural gas as the fuel source, but the emissions and the outcome are almost pure,” Quirk said.
The project is far from a certainty, however, because in order to help pay for the three fuel cell installations, SCE had to ask the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), a state agency that regulates private utility companies operating in California, to allow it to increase the electricity rates of its customers.
In a document filed with the CPUC on April 27, SCE said the average residential customer would see an increase of about 2 cents a month, and said it would not go forward with the $30 million program if the commission denies its request to increase rates. The $30 million would fund all three campuses’ projects with $21.6 million for construction and $8.9 million toward maintenance over the next 10 years.
A final decision on SCE’s proposal is not expected until December, giving members of the public time to comment on the issue.
If approved, the power plant—which is expected to cost more than $8 million—would be built on campus, and would be owned and operated by SCE. The university would purchase the electricity generated by the plant, but would be free to use heat and wastewater for other purposes, according to Quirk.
In addition to providing cleaner electricity, fuel cells generate heat. Quirk said CSULB’s plant would likely be a cogeneration plant, or a plant that uses both the electricity and the heat that would otherwise be vented into the environment.
Cogeneration plants reuse this heat for other purposes, such as heating water, which means a greater reduction in overall energy needs. The excess heat could also be used to chill water by use of devices known as absorption chillers.
University officials say a fuel cell power plant on campus could be an educational opportunity for CSULB students. Quirk said he envisioned viewing windows and possibly informational screens to allow members of the campus community and the general public to observe the inner workings of the plant.
In a letter to SCE’s director of regulatory affairs, CSULB President F. King Alexander expressed his support for the idea and emphasized the educational impact it could have.
“A fuel cell system on campus would not only be a great addition to our energy infrastructure, but would also be a significant educational opportunity for students to learn and experience emerging clean-power technology,” Alexander said.
Ideas for incorporating the fuel cell plant into CSULB’s educational programs include making it a focus for graduate engineering students, as well as having economics students monitor the efficiency of the plant and explore ways to market the technology.
If SCE’s plans are approved, CSULB would join other universities in embracing fuel cell technology. Cal State Northridge installed a 1-megawatt, natural-gas system in 2007, and University of California, San Diego plans to build a 2.8-megawatt plant powered by methane gas.
In 2007, CSULB installed solar panels throughout campus, which provides approximately 4 percent of the university’s energy needs. Solar panels on top of Brotman Hall produce 80 to 90 percent of the building’s peak energy.
At the present time, the fuel cell will eliminate some 99% of the toxic pollutants emitted by coal fired steam turbine-generators such as SO2, NOX and particulate matter. It will be more efficient in fuel utilization, 47%, than central generating stations of 600,000 kilowatts or more with a maximum efficiency of 38% . It will eliminate the need for transmission and distribution lines to deliver its power and eliminate their electrical losses further increasing efficiency when measured at the customer’s meter. It will significantly reduce greenhouse gases emission per kilowatt hour. With a greater volume of production and going further along the learning curve, the fuel cell, which is even now less costly in fuel use than giant conventional generators, will have lower hardware cost than conventional generation as well.
Finally, since the fuel cell will be located at the site of the load, its heat can be used for co-generation loads such as hot water, space heating, process steam, air conditioning that can further increase its efficiency up to 90%+