• Who we are
  • About the County
  • Career Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Our Services
  • Our Team
  • Our Vision
• What we work on
  • Climate Protection
  • Climate Resilience
  • Ecosystem Restoration
  • Energy
  • Green Building
  • Green Business
  • Greening the Workplace
  • Land Use Planning
  • Purchasing
  • Recycling
  • Transportation
  • Waste Reduction
  • Water
• How we do it
  • Partnerships
  • Policies
  • Programs
  • Success Stories
• What's next
  • Climate Action Plan
• What you can do
  • Businesses
  • Child Care Providers
  • Educators
  • Individuals
  • Local Governments
• News
  • Awards
  • News & Events
  • Press
• Documents
  • Sorted by type
  • Sorted by topic
• Glossary

Energy

• Community Projects
• Fuel Cell
• Lighting Retrofit (county buildings)
• Press and Awards
• Solar Energy

A fuel cell plant produces half of Santa Rita Jail's energy needs.

Fuel Cell

Producing clean energy is a key strategy that helps Alameda County reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the Santa Rita Jail, a 1 million square-foot facility that operates 24/7 and has large energy demands, the County installed a 1-megawatt fuel cell power plant. It was the first megawatt-class fuel cell in California and was certified by the California Air Resources Board as an ultra-clean distributed generator. The plant generates 50% of the Jail's electricity needs. In addition to providing electricity, it also produces heat used to pre-heat the Jail's hot water systems.

Documents

• Santa Rita Jail Fuel Cell Case Study (PDF - 471kb) *
• Santa Rita Jail Fuel Cell Overview (PDF - 2306kb) *

Related Links

• California Energy Commission
  State's energy policy and planning agency