With Chancellor Carol Christ's support and leadership, on May 15, 2024 the UC Regents approved a Phase 1 project budget of $476.6 million to be funded by external financing supported by State General Fund appropriations, external financing supported by Renewable Energy Tax Credit payments, and external financing supported by the campus.
Phase 1 of the Clean Energy campus project would achieve a 70% reduction in building energy carbon emissions and consist of the following components:
● Electrified Heating and Cooling Plant (EHCP) with electrified heat pumps and chillers, geothermal heat exchange wells under the plant, and thermal storage tanks capable of using recycled water. The EHCP would replace the campus’s existing cogeneration plant and enable the campus to shift to utility-provided power and the project’s Distributed Energy Resources.
● An initial phase of the Thermal Distribution System with new underground hot and chilled water piping to campus buildings and conversion of building systems to accept water in place of steam. In Phase 1 the campus plans to connect its most energy-intensive buildings to the new system, shifting their thermal energy load to the new Electrified Heating and Cooling Plant.
● Site preparation for Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). Land use preparation and distribution to these sites would enable the implementation of approximately ten to 12 MW of solar photovoltaic systems, 7.5 MW of green-hydrogen-ready fuel cells, and 45 MWh of battery storage for efficiency and to support critical loads in outages.