The Donald Von Raesfeld Power Plant (DVRPP) is a natural gas power plant in
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Clare of Assisi, Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns i ...
, operated by
Silicon Valley Power. Located near the
San Jose International Airport
San José Mineta International Airport —officially Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport—is a city-owned public airport in San Jose, California. Located northwest of Downtown San Jose, the airport serves both the city and the Sa ...
it began operations in 2005 with a peak capacity of 147 megawatts.
DVRPP is a two-on-one combined cycle power plant, combining the output of two 50 MW combustion turbines with one 22MW steam turbine. The steam is generated from the heated exhaust from each combustion turbine, and steam output may be increased to meet peaking demands by using exhaust duct-mounted natural gas burners.
Infrastructure co-location
Santa Clara has been touted as the "data center capital of Silicon Valley" in part spurred by low power rates from Silicon Valley Power. DVRPP, along with a major
Silicon Valley Power substation a block away, provide redundant high capacity power sources. In close proximity are major long-haul hubs for several Tier 1
Internet backbone
The Internet backbone is the principal data routes between large, strategically interconnected computer networks and core routers of the Internet. These data routes are hosted by commercial, government, academic and other high-capacity network ...
providers for redundant high capacity Internet connection. Many large private and co-location
data center
A data center is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems.
Since IT operations are crucial for busines ...
s are located in or near Santa Clara,
specifically the area surrounding DVRPP bounded by Hwy 101, Lafayette St, Central Expressway, Scott Boulevard and San Tomas Expressway.
See also
*
List of power stations in California
A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...
References
Natural gas-fired power stations in California
Buildings and structures in Santa Clara, California
Economy of Santa Clara, California
Science and technology in the San Francisco Bay Area
2005 establishments in California
Environment of the San Francisco Bay Area
Energy in the San Francisco Bay Area
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