Posts Tagged ‘energy’

Defense Department spending on renewable energy programs, including conservation measures, will increase steadily over the next 12 years, reaching almost $1.8 billion in 2025, according to a new report from Pike Research. Driven by a combination of legislation, national and international policy, strategic imperatives, and operational requirements, clean technologies are moving into the mainstream of DOD spending, and the department now is one of the most important drivers of clean energy markets in the United States …

In the face of opposition from historic preservation groups, the Navy said last week it would consider alternative sites for a solar array it planned to install on the historic Ford Island runway in Pearl Harbor. The Navy’s plan calls for covering the island’s 4,000-foot runway and 14 surrounding acres with 60,000 solar panels. The solar project would be built, owned and operated by three firms under a $500 million contract …

In a review of 65 solar initiatives supported by six federal agencies, the Government Accountability Office found only a limited degree of overlap and “no clear instances of duplicative initiatives,” according to a recent report by the congressional watchdog agency. Furthermore, officials responsible for 57 of the initiatives indicated they coordinated in some way with other solar-related initiatives within their own agencies and with other agencies. The initiatives addressed the same broad areas of national need, GAO said, but the agencies tailored them to meet their specific missions …

The Pentagon obligated $1.0 billion in fiscal 2011 on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, according to the department’s newly released FY 2011 Annual Energy Management Report. The largest share of funding came from direct appropriations through military construction, operation and maintenance, and defense working capital fund accounts. In FY 2011, the military funded 873 energy conservation, renewable energy and water conservation projects for $611 million …

The Air Force was the only military service in fiscal 2011 to meet the 2005 Energy Policy Act (EPAct) mandate that 5.0 percent of energy consumed at installations come from renewable energy sources, as it obtained 6.0 percent of its electricity consumption from renewables. Overall, the Defense Department acquired 3.1 percent of the electricity it consumed at installations from renewable sources. The Army obtained 0.5 percent of its electricity from alternative energy sources; the Navy, 1.0 percent; and the Marine Corps, 1.2 percent …

President Obama issued an executive order Friday blocking a Chinese company from acquiring four wind farms located near a Navy training facility in north central Oregon due to national security concerns. The wind farm sites are all within or in the vicinity of restricted airspace at Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman …

The Air Force is taking a comprehensive approach to meeting DOD’s energy goals, focusing on lowering the cost of energy, increasing the service’s energy capabilities and implementing a culture change among personnel. “We currently have 6 percent of our total electricity that comes from renewable alternative sources in fiscal year 2011,” said Kevin Geiss, deputy assistant secretary for energy. “That is 131 projects, across 56 installations, giving us 37 [megawatts] of total production …

Many U.S. installations in Europe are more energy-efficient than those in the U.S., Assistant Army Secretary for Installations, Energy and Environment Katherine Hammack said in a press release after a 10-day tour of installations in Germany and Italy…

The Air Force and EDF Renewable Energy, formerly enXco, have begun negotiations to lease 195 acres at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., for solar energy development, following the company’s selection as the highest-ranked offeror for an enhanced use leasing project, officials announced last week. The project calls for San Diego-based EDF Renewable Energy, the U.S. subsidiary of EDF-Energies Nouvelles, to develop up to 27 megawatts of solar power capacity at the northern California base. “The Travis project is one of several renewable energy EULs in development that will help the Air Force meet its energy goals, and provide power for local community use,” said Kathleen Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary for installations.

In its first year of operation, the 6-megawatt solar array at the Air Force Academy produced about 7.5 percent more power than anticipated, saving the government $802,000 in avoided power purchases. The $18.3-million project, made up of 18,888 solar panels installed along 41 acres, began operation July 1, 2011. Officials had estimated the project would save only $550,000 in its first year …