CSUF Trigeneration

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 33.8806, -117.8866.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of America

CSUF Trigeneration is a 9 MW gas power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by California State University at Fullerton. Based on reported annual generation of 34 GWh, it can supply roughly 9.7k homes. It ranks #5933 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

9Source-backed capacity
34GWh reported / yr
9,685homes powered
2012commissioned (~14 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0058169.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCSUF Trigeneration WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates33.8806, -117.8866 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity9 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCalifornia State University at Fullerton WRI
Commissioned2012 WRI
GWh reported / yr34 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions13,560 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#5933 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1802 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.07× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent9,685 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.4°C · HDD 776 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 46/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 9 MW, CSUF Trigeneration is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 28 GWh20132014: 31 GWh20142015: 31 GWh20152016: 32 GWh20162017: 32 GWh20172018: 34 GWh20182019: 34 GWh201934 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by California State University at Fullerton.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.4°Cannual mean temp
776heating degree-days (base 18°C)
570cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
253 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 19 °CON: 15 °CND: 12 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 68% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 24/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~2% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
46/100environmental-severity index
11.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
5 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1802 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.8806, -117.8866 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is CSUF Trigeneration?

CSUF Trigeneration is a 9 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 2012.

How much electricity does CSUF Trigeneration generate?

CSUF Trigeneration generates about 34 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can CSUF Trigeneration power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 9,685 homes.

Who operates CSUF Trigeneration?

CSUF Trigeneration is operated by California State University at Fullerton.

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