The Alhambra campus is proudly designed to reflect both our respect for and commitment to long-term sustainability. Our eco-friendly innovations have earned us LEED Gold certification since 2012 and a current Energy Star score of 88. Bloom Energy fuel cells generate over 75% of electricity used and three acres of beautifully lush yet remarkably drought-tolerant landscaping has decreased our irrigation water usage by 85%. These achievements not only allow The Alhambra to operate more efficiently, they result in significant direct cost savings for our tenants year after year.
By continually reducing our eco footprint, all members of The Alhambra campus community enjoy lower costs without any loss in productivity. Large equipment upgrades including cooling towers, two 1000-ton chillers and variable speed motors have led to significant energy savings. Landscape and plumbing upgrades have reduced our water usage by 10%. And our Bloom Energy fuel cells saved more than $200,000 in electrical costs in 2013 alone – over 10% of the total annual electrical budget.
By using fossil fuels more efficiently, without combustion, Bloom Energy servers produce far fewer emissions than legacy technologies. Powered by natural gas, The Alhambra’s Bloom Servers generate 64% less carbon dioxide per kW hour produced than a coal-fired power plant.
The Alhambra operates five Bloom Energy fuel cells which generate up to1,000 kW of power (250kW each). Together they generate +/-199,500 kW hours per week, which equates to +/-75% of The Alhambra’s electricity requirement. Bloom technology enables us to produce our own reliable electricity 24×7 at nearly twice the efficiency of conventional technologies.
Our Energy Star score of 88 means we’re more energy efficient than 88% of all buildings in the U.S. — an achievement our tenants can feel as good about as we do.
Bloom systems are built around a modular architecture of simple repeating elements that are extremely reliable and easy to scale. The electricity produced is running “grid parallel”: the campus runs first on the fuel cell generated power and then additional electrical power required is supplied by the grid. During fuel cell maintenance or any necessary shut down, the system accesses grid power directly to prevent power interruptions to The Alhambra.
The annual operating cost savings for 2019 are estimated to be over $350,000 based on projected electricity and natural gas prices. These cost savings benefit our tenants in the form of lower operating expense pass-throughs.
1000 S. Fremont Avenue
Alhambra, California 91803
t // 626-300-5000
