Colorado College Tutt Library
CHP/Microgrid
The microgrid features two C65 natural gas-fired microturbines and solar arrays. The microturbines operate in parallel with the grid. Should power to the building be lost, the microturbines will maintain critical infrastructure. A key motivator for the CHP microgrid system was to ensure the resilience of the library, lower operating costs and reduce the college’s overall carbon footprint. When the facility was first designed in 1962, energy consumption was not a significant concern. However, with increasing energy costs there was a growing impetus to improve efficiency of this building and other buildings across the campus.