New system will generate heat, 40 percent of power UA uses

The UA will save up to $2 million a year in energy costs once two new generators are built and paid off.

With the generators - which will cost $14 million to construct - the University of Arizona will join more than 50 other colleges and universities nation-wide that operate partially on their own power.

The power produced from the two turbines would be enough to supply 800-1,000 homes, said Bill Wilson, assistant director of utilities management.

The UA's $15-20 million yearly utility bill will drop $1-2 million once the generators are installed, depending on the price of the natural gas used to fuel the generators, Wilson said.

Construction of the generators began six months ago at the Cherry-Warren bypass west of University Medical Center and on East Fourth Street west of the Physics and Atmospheric Sciences building.

However the generators, or "combined-cycle turbines," will pay for themselves in 7.5 years with savings in electrical costs, said Dick Roberts, UA budget director.

The generators work by using a natural gas engine to turn a turbine. In the process, heat energy in the form of steam is produced. This steam can be channeled to the UA campus to provide for hot water and other heating needs.

When the steam is not needed, such as in the summer, it can be redirected away from the UA campus with the flip of a switch. The redirected steam would be channeled back into the turbine, making the turbine spin faster and produce more electricity without using more natural gas.

"This is the most efficient means of producing power that is conventionally available and the bottom line is that this saves the UA money that could be used for other things," Wilson said.