CSU dials it down

Flex Your Power, a statewide campaign, has recognized the California State University system for reducing its power use by up to 3 megawatts during summer’s peak energy times.

Len Pettis, CSU’s chief of plant, energy and utilities, said the effort to reduce the system’s energy use falls in line with a commitment to help alleviate the strain on the state’s power grid, which is stretched to its breaking point each summer.

To do so, CSU campuses shut down or reduced the use of electricity-hungry systems during critical energy-demand periods called by the California Independent System Operator who manages the power grid.

“As a leader in the community, charged with educating the workforce of the future, the CSU is proud to be proactive in preserving and promoting a sustainable environment,” Pettis said in a recent press release.