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At PCC, there are a variety of significantly complicated systems that cool each building. The buildings themselves have been constructed to conserve energy and economy.There is much complexity to the mechanics of air conditioning that goes virtually unnoticed, especially by students.

“I never put much thought into what makes the buildings cool during these hot days, I just assumed it was regular air conditioner,” said film major Gerhard Nick Sawall. “But the fact that PCC actually invested in something that is energy efficient to get the job done is really nice to hear.”

“There is a lot to be said about the system-it is very complex,” said Interim Vice President of Administrative Services Richard van Pelt. “In fact, in many ways it is a very complex series of systems.”

According to van Pelt, there are a number of cooling systems, all interlinked through electronic controls.

“They range from individual units that cool small spaces to massive, interconnected chilled water units that pump water from the central Chiller Plant to the edges of the campus,” he added.

According to van Pelt, there are four main large chambers in the Chiller Plant that are operated by intricate electronic systems.

The “ice farms,” on the other hand, cannot be seen. They “work with tanks that are submerged underground-so they are not rooms you can walk into,” said van Pelt.

The Shatford Library and Community Education Center both use Thermal Energy Systems that freeze and generate ice at night. During the day, the ice melts and in turn, cools the buildings.

The systems are buried in the ground, one off the northeast corner of the library and the other to the south of the CEC.

At night “energy is far more plentiful, and less expensive,” said van Pelt. “Not only does it save money, but it also helps reduce daytime peak electrical demand.”

The district decided to install the systems in the early 1990s, and there are still only a handful installed in campuses across the country.

Library Division Dean Mary Ann Laun explained that Shatford Library’s cooling system deals with an underground tank.

“The water is continuously frozen and used to refrigerate the building,” she said.

Students are surprised to hear about the intricate cooling phenomenon used on campus that “fulfill [the college’s] air conditioning needs at a reasonable price,” said van Pelt.

Teaching major Darla Ocampo said she had no clue these systems existed. “I had no idea that it was so interesting and complicated,” she said. “I would have just thought they used the same kind of air conditioning for each building.”

“There has been a constant evolution of the cooling systems at PCC, dating back decades,” said van Pelt. “The wholesale changeout of the equipment in the Chiller Plant has taken place in the last five or six years.

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