One of Capstone Green Energy’s Premier Installations—Running Strong for Nearly 20 Years

Just a few miles from Capstone Green Energy’s headquarters, the The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library RRPL stands as a testament to history, leadership, and innovation. But beyond its iconic exhibits and breathtaking views, the library is also home to one of Capstone’s most enduring success stories in sustainable energy.

Commissioned in 2005, the facility’s advanced combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system has been running 24/7 for nearly two decades, proving the long-term reliability, efficiency, and environmental benefits of microturbine technology.

As we celebrate President’s Day, it’s the perfect time to spotlight this landmark installation—one that reflects both the forward-thinking leadership of President Reagan and Capstone’s commitment to sustainable energy solutions.

The Challenge

In 2005, administrators of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California wanted to find an innovative, environmentally friendly solution that could supply the facility’s energy and cooling needs. Partnering with Capstone Green Energy and its distributor, they implemented a combined cooling, heating, and power system (CCHP) for this high-profile campus.?

Twenty years after its commission, the system has impressively delivered on the promise of ultra-reliability, low emissions, and high efficiency.

The Solution

At the heart of the CCHP system are 16 natural gas Capstone C60 microturbines, which are integrated into three UTC PureComfort? packages, each with four Capstone microturbines and a Carrier absorption chiller. Four additional standalone Capstone C60 (60kW) units complete the installation. This system provides 95 percent of the energy required by the 100,000 square-foot facility, including electricity for the Air Force One Pavilion, home to Air Force One, tail number 27000, which flew seven U.S. presidents. The microturbines also generate 75-80 percent of power needed to maintain humidity and temperature levels that support the preservation or archival museum items.

In addition to producing 960kW of electricity, the microturbines provide chilled and hot water. This trigeneration method adds to the system’s efficiency by recycling the heat from power generation for the facility’s heating and cooling. In other words, exhaust from the operating turbines is collected and channeled to an absorption chiller. The chiller has a closed water loop through it, which chills and provides water for the air-conditioning systems, resulting in 387 tons of refrigeration. Other turbines have a hot water loop on them, which provides heat and hot water for the entire facility.

“On any given day, this installation can follow the load demands whether [the facility] is filled with many or a few people, whether it’s hot or cool outside,” said Vince Canino, President and CEO of Capstone Green Energy.

The Results

“We wanted to make sure the system we installed provided not only the needs and requirements of cooling and energizing the building but also leaving as little of a footprint on the environment as possible,” said John Lehne, Facilities Manager for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Reliability is key when you welcome over 300,000 visitors each year and are responsible for maintaining historic documents and artifacts. Because the turbines have only one moving part and air bearings, their maintenance needs are low, requiring only routine filter changes. In fact, since the system was installed in 2005, it has provided 24/7 availability.

“We are hands off on the system. We monitor it and keep an eye on it. But if anything goes wrong, we make one call, and they have a crew out to take care of it,” said Lehne. “We’ve been very happy with the system.”

The system has also performed exceptionally well in achieving some impressive environmental goals. The use of natural gas as a fuel produces lower emissions that traditional fossil fuels. Further the system operates at an 82 percent efficiency level compared that of typical grid power, which is roughly 30 percent. Altogether, the system reduces annual Nox emissions by nearly 23,000 pounds and CO2 emissions by nearly 4 million pounds — the equivalent of removing more than 400 passenger vehicles from the road each year.

President Reagan famously kept a sign on his Oval Office desk that said simply: It can be done. Capstone Green Energy honors that sentiment and are committed to providing solutions to today’s energy and environmental challenges.

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