Posts Tagged ‘renewable energy’

DOD will be required to issue guidance for selecting the financing approach for renewable energy projects, under a provision in the conference report for the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill approved this week. The guidance, which is due six months after the measure is enacted, “should describe the requirements and restrictions applicable to the underlying authorities and any Department of Defense-specific guidelines for using appropriated funds and alternative-financing approaches for renewable energy projects …

The Defense Department would be required to issue guidance for financing renewable energy projects under a provision on the conference report for the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill approved Tuesday. A separate provision requires energy security to be included as a component of DOD energy savings contracts for buildings, facilities, installations, vehicles, and equipment …

The Navy recently completed an environmental assessment for a joint effort between El Paso, Texas-based Hunt Cos. and Norway-based Scatec Solar to build a 5-megawatt solar array near the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station in West Oahu. The $30 million project, Kalaeloa Renewable Energy Park, will consist of 21,000 photovoltaic panels on 20 acres next to the Marine Corps’ former Ewa Field. Hunt affiliate Kalaeloa Ventures LLC will sell the energy to the Hawaiian Electric Co. through a 20-year power purchase agreement, reported Pacific Business News. The solar farm is one of many renewable projects the military is planning in Hawaii. The Marines, for example, hope to be off the grid by 2015 at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on the other side of the island from Kalaeloa, according to the story.

Next month’s Installation Innovation Forum will provide attendees a firsthand opportunity to learn how the military services and industry approach energy development projects. A workshop on public-private partnerships will focus on the critical factors needed to make energy projects turn out successfully, highlighting what the military and industry look for when embarking on new projects …

While the Defense Department has fallen short of its goals to acquire an increasing share of its electricity from renewable sources and trim energy consumption at its installations, the use of virtual storage in conjunction with microgrids will aid the military’s initiative for installations to operate independently of the commercial grid, according to a post on the GreenBiz.com blog. Microgrids combine on-site clean energy generation, energy efficiency and smart controls to allow greater efficiency and reliability …

Air Force officials are creating a single process for acquiring renewable energy at the service’s installations that will be used for enhanced use leasing projects as well as those that rely on power purchase agreements. The streamlining effort came out of a recent event which brought together representatives from major commands, the service’s installations and energy office, and the newly formed Air Force Civil Engineer Center in San Antonio. “EULs and PPAs previously had separate, complex processes for execution and sometimes the lines were blurred between the two …

A new demonstration program at Fort Carson, Colo., will consider whether an installation’s fleet of electric vehicles can support the operation of a microgrid by storing excess energy. Kansas City, Mo.-based Burns and McDonnell Engineering Co. will build a microgrid out of existing electrical infrastructure at the Army post, integrating a 2-megawatt photovoltaic array, diesel generator sets and electric vehicles to provide a self-contained, energy-sustainable capability during electrical grid disruptions …

The Air Force will test a new concentrated solar power technology at Edwards AFB, Calif., under a $2.3 million contract awarded to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) for a 200-kilowatt solar system. Durham, N.C.-based Semprius will provide PWR 2,400 modules using its high concentration photovoltaic technology. The company’s proprietary technology relies on pinhead-sized solar cells and is significantly more efficient than other photovoltaic systems. If the project proves cost effective, the technology likely would be deployed at other installations, reported Hydrogen Fuel News.

Officials from DOD, the Navy and E.ON Climate & Renewables North America reached agreement this week to allow the developer to construct up to 100 wind turbines at a site located about halfway between Naval Air Stations Kingsville and Corpus Christi in South Texas. The agreement, which calls for Chicago-based ECRNA to provide DOD $750,000 in funding for research and testing into solutions to mitigate potential impacts of the wind farm on military radar, is intended to preserve the two installations’ pilot training missions …

A photovoltaic array being installed at Fort Rucker, Ala., is expected to save the Army thousands of dollars a year and help the installation take a step toward achieving net zero status. The 51-kilowatt array is directly connected to Alabama Power’s electrical grid, so any energy that is generated at Hatch Stage Field that isn’t used can be fed back onto the grid …