Solar Power Saves Money, Bolsters Security in Guam
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS101104-01
11/4/2010
By Catherine Cruz Norton, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas Public Affairs
APRA HARBOR, Guam (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Marianas culminated National Energy Awareness Month with a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 29 that marked the completion of a $5 million solar photovoltaic project on Naval Base Guam.
The solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides a clean source of renewable energy by drawing heat from the sun and converting it to electricity.
Speaking to a crowd of military leaders and industry partners at the ceremony, Naval Base Guam Commanding Officer Richard Wood emphasized the value of renewable energy. "The power from this field will be fed directly into the base's main power lines, reducing the Navy's reliance on electricity produced by burning oil," Wood said. "This project, along with other energy conservation projects throughout the base, will allow us to do more with less for years to come."
The PV system will produce sufficient solar power to energize approximately 54 homes on base, according to Kevin Evans, NAVFAC Marianas and Joint Region Marianas energy manager. "It has been designed to generate 250 kilowatts (kW) of power," he said.
Wood said this solar array will provide approximately 411,000 kilowatt hours of clean renewable electricity to Naval Base Guam each year. "This is a savings of $106,050 from our electricity bill each year," he said.
The solar PV array represents the third energy conservation component in a three-part program that makes up the base's $34.1 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) awarded to Johnson Controls in April 2009.
The other two components are the installation of an energy management system in 42 buildings, with a central control room to monitor and control energy consumption within each building; and installation of energy efficient lighting throughout the base. Already 50 buildings and half the base's sidewalk lights have been retrofitted to brighter, more efficient light fixtures.
Altogether, the ESPC is expected to deliver an annual reduction in electrical energy consumption by 6,353 megawatt hours (MWh) and save the base $1.7 million annually in energy costs.
"The Navy on Guam continues to make significant investments to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and increase our use of clean energy," said NAVFAC Marianas Commanding Officer Capt. Peter Lynch. "The project that we are celebrating today is a fine example of this; it is an enormous investment in time and resources, and it demonstrates an excellent partnership with industry and technology to do our part towards the overall Department of Navy goal."
Lynch described a variety of other renewable energy technologies being pursued by the Navy including wind turbines, geoexchange, geothermal, building integrated photovoltaic systems and additional systems to maximize solar energy. "We are committed to doing our part here on Guam to strengthen national security and create a sustainable future for the island," he said.
It's a significant effort when parlayed with the Secretary of the Navy's global challenge to reduce energy consumption and install renewable energy sources for the sake of national security.
SECNAV established five ambitious energy goals that will move the Navy and Marine Corps away from a reliance on petroleum, and will dramatically increase the use of alternative energy. Included among the goals is that by 2020, the Department of the Navy will produce at least 50% of its shore-based energy requirements from alternative sources.
"Meeting these objectives will be challenging," Lynch said. "But I am confident that we are up to this challenge. It begins with commitment and innovation; it requires that each and every one of us take a vested interest both at work and at home to turn these goals into reality."
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