solarturbine

Solar Turbines was located in San Diego and made turbines for standy power used by telephone utilties in the 1970s and 1980s. Many were about 250 kilowatt ratings. I have a 1950s firefighting film showing a man-portable turbine pump which never became popular. It may have been made by Solar.

my memory is that they sounded like an aircraft APU. That's what they are.

That odd looking pipe at the left of the image is probably the underground fuel tank vent.

The concrete has cured and the turbine arrives from Solar.

This would be a tricky prospect in 2026 even if the air quality rules were not a factor. Modern Calfornia diesel fuel is up to 20% biodiesel. People tell me the stuff is hygroscopic. This means you can get mold and algae growing in it. It also has a shorter shelf life. You must burn it or use fuel stabilisers. Everyone with a standby generator set — air traffic control, 9-1-1, hospitals — must manage this issue.

One edition of Rohr magazine said this heat exchanger saved about US$80,000/month in building heating costs. In winter, maybe? I can't imagine that cost is flat year-round...

This takes waste heat from the turbine exhaust and heats up heating hot water.