A long-time provider of efficient cooling to San Diego businesses
A provider of chilled water cooling to downtown customers for nearly 50 years, Clearway Community Energy San Diego is a valuable partner to the city’s public and private institutions. One of the first district energy systems exclusively dedicated to providing cooling services, Clearway Community Energy San Diego cools buildings in a 4-square mile service area in San Diego’s central business district. The plant in the city’s commercial core produces chilled water, which is distributed to customers to air condition more than 3.2 million square feet of space.
Built in 1971, the system underwent major renovations in 1999, which added eight new rooftop cooling towers and 2,600 tons of gas-fired, turbine-driven chiller capacity. The system also cogenerates 1,600 kW of electricity – enough to meet nearly 30 percent of the plant’s peak power requirements.
In 2016, Clearway Community Energy San Diego replaced two chillers with new, more sustainable, electrically driven chillers. The new chillers reduce the system’s environmental footprint, support our customers’ LEED goals, and increase cooling capacity at the plant, which allows us to serve our customers more efficiently.