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 …
The Army’s initiative to cut the use of energy and water by installations, and to reduce their waste stream, is not confined to the United States. On Friday, Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment, visited Army Garrison Grafenwoehr in Germany to assess the garrison’s progress as it strives to become a “Net Zero” installation for waste …
Beginning in January 2013, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is scheduled to obtain one quarter of its electricity by converting methane gas generated by the Anchorage landfill to energy. The city landfill, located adjacent to the base, had been spending $60,000 a year to burn off the gas. Soon the landfill will generate more than 56,000 megawatt hours of electricity, or 26 percent of the base’s load. One critical component of the initiative is JBER’s use of a privatized utility contractor …
The ADC Energy Partnership Council is co-sponsoring a two-day workshop focusing on how industry can partner with the federal government to help meet its goals for improving energy efficiency and increasing its reliance on renewable energy. The workshop, “PPPs for the Federal Government: Successful Partnering to Meet Energy Goals and Mandates,” is being held by the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships from Sept. 19-20 in Arlington, Va. …
Last week’s pre-proposal conference for the Army’s $7 billion acquisition of renewable energy through a multiple-award task order contract attracted more than 600 industry representatives to Huntsville, Ala., a clear signal that the service’s effort to streamline its procurement process and listen to companies’ concerns about the draft solicitation paid off. “To reach the Army’s goal of deploying 1 gigawatt of renewable energy by 2025 will require a different way of doing business with the private sector. The issuance of the MATOC is a clear milestone for us and the significant interest we’ve seen from industry indicates that we are on the right path …
The Air Force has reached a deal with SunEdison LLC to build a 14.5-megawatt photovoltaic solar array at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and provide electricity through a power purchase agreement at a reduced rate for 25 years. Construction will begin soon with completion planned by December as the array has to begin generating electricity by Dec. 31, 2012, reported the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency. The project relies on SunEdison participating in a program to sell the renewable energy certificates to Tucson Electric Power. That program expires at the end of the year …
Last week’s groundbreaking for a $9.6 million solar farm at Tooele Army Depot, Utah, assumed an unusually high profile, as Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, participated in the ceremonies. The project relies on an innovative technology developed by Infinia Corp. It combines reflective mirrors on a dish that tracks the sun with a Stirling engine that generates the electricity, reported the Salt Lake Tribune. The Ogden, Utah-based firm will plant 430 PowerDishes, each 22 feet in diameter, on 15 acres of vacant land at the depot …
In remarks at an Army Corps of Engineers conference last week, the Army’s installations chief urged the agency’s senior leaders to continue to find creative solutions to the many infrastructure challenges facing the service. “As we work together to enhance the Army’s mission effectiveness, we will need not only your engineering skills and technical expertise, but your creativity, adaptability and ability to understand and find solutions to complex issues,” Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment, said at the conference in Little Rock, Ark. She focused on energy security, sustainability and the shift to renewable energy sources …