A power plant that provides heating and cooling to California state government buildings has become the largest of its kind to become certified gold under the LEED program, organizers said.
The $181 million project in downtown Sacramento began two years ago, and replaces a facility that had been in service since 1968, reports the Sacramento Business Journal.
The building's cooling towers release heat from state buildings. The new facility uses just five percent as much water as the old plant, which will be dismantled.
The 78,000 square foot plant is the largest of its kind in the Western states, according to a press release.
The steam and chilled water it produces heats and cools more than 5.5 million square feet of office space in state-owned buildings throughout the downtown core.
In the second phase of construction, the plant will gain a 140-foot-tall, 4.25 million gallon, thermal energy storage tank to store reserves of chilled water produced during off-peak energy demand times for use during the heat of the day.
Additionally, solar panels will be added to help power the energy needs of the office space within it.
