The new 350 kva Cummins Onan is a backup generator acquired through American Recovery and Reinstatement Act funds.
NMC interim President Lorraine Cabrera said the new generator will ensure that there will be no power outages on campus.
“With the generators in place, NMC students and faculty are rest assured that daily college operations will be able to continue despite any power outages that may occur,” she said.
The college is also taking measures to reduce energy consumption by eliminating unnecessary overhead lighting in hallways and classrooms, Cabrera said.
She said NMC is working to secure grants to implement alternative energy sources for the college in the near future.
NMC facilities manager John Guerrero said the acquisition of new backup generator is a great step for the college. in case of power outages.
“Ultimately the goal is to make NMC an energy-efficient campus,” he said.
The new generator will power the south side of the campus, which houses most of the computer labs and business classes, including Upward Bound.
The existing generator powers the west side where administration offices such as Financial Aid and Admissions and Records as well as classrooms are located.
If there’s a power interruption, it will take only a few seconds for the generators to kick in and supply the college with electricity, Cabrera said.
The continued power supply will help students get uninterrupted power and water on campus, she added.
Both generators will able to power 21 of NMC’s 26 buildings.
The buildings left out for now are the gym, Q, T, S and R.
Cabrera said NMC is also considering finding new funds to wire all of its buildings to the generators or purchase smaller ones to provide power to the non-central buildings.
