Pentagon and more federal buildings are adding solar to their campuses

An aerial view of the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Might 15, 2023. (DoD photograph by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander Kubitza)

The funding is from DOE’s Helping Federal Amenities with Vitality Conservation Applied Sciences (AFFECT) program, which was established in 1992 and helps companies lower vitality consumption and saves taxpayer cash in vitality prices. This $104 million in funding is the primary of three disbursements of the $250 million put aside in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation.

“The Federal Authorities is the nation’s largest client of vitality, and conserving as much energy as attainable in our buildings and automobile fleets advantages taxpayers and bolsters our nationwide safety,” stated U.S. Secretary of Vitality Jennifer M. Granholm. “Because of the historic funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, the initiatives we’re saying at present will assist safe our vitality independence whereas we combat local weather change and create a more healthy atmosphere for all Individuals.”

Noteworthy solar-related initiatives embody:

• Set up of rooftop photo voltaic panels, a heat-recovery warmth pump system, and photo voltaic thermal panels to scale back reliance on pure gasoline and gas oil combustion methods on the Pentagon;
• Set up of LED lights and occupancy sensors in low-occupancy areas and software of PV movie on south-facing home windows to preserve and generate vitality at the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.;
• Retrofitting the availability of constructing’s HVAC system at the Social Safety Administration (SSA) headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, and likewise integrating a 300-kW photo voltaic system;
• Set up of a 10-MW photo voltaic and battery vitality storage system on 70 acres of the DOE Savannah River Website (SRS) in Aiken, South Carolina, a precursor to a bigger 100-MW array;
• The alternative of a 35-year-old HVAC system with high-efficiency tools, making enhancements to the constructing envelope together with window replacements, setting up of a brand new 75-kW photo voltaic PV system and a sophisticated metering system, and implementation of water conservation measures on the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Maui Air Visitors Management Tower in Kahului, Hawaii.

The 31 chosen initiatives are anticipated to double the quantity of recent carbon-free electrical energy capability at Federal services over the quantity introduced online in 2022, leading to 27 MW of further clean-energy capability. The initiatives will assist Federal funding go additional by leveraging greater than $361 million in non-public funding.