Pentagon and extra federal buildings are including photo voltaic to their campuses

The Dept. of Vitality just lately introduced $104 million for vitality conservation and clear vitality tasks at 31 federal amenities, together with a brand new photo voltaic set up atop the Dept. of Protection’s Pentagon constructing in Arlington, Virginia.

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

The funding is from DOE’s Aiding Federal Amenities with Vitality Conservation Applied sciences (AFFECT) program, which was established in 1992 and helps companies reduce 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 shopper of vitality, and conserving as a lot energy as attainable in our buildings and car fleets advantages taxpayers and bolsters our nationwide safety,” mentioned U.S. Secretary of Vitality Jennifer M. Granholm. “Due to the historic funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, the tasks we’re asserting in the present day will assist safe our vitality independence whereas we combat local weather change and create a more healthy setting for all People.”

Noteworthy solar-related tasks embrace:

• 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 gasoline oil combustion programs 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 on the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.;
• Retrofitting the availability constructing’s HVAC system on 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;
• Substitute of a 35-year-old HVAC system with high-efficiency tools, making enhancements to the constructing envelope together with window replacements, and set up of a brand new 75-kW photo voltaic PV system and a complicated 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 tasks are anticipated to double the quantity of recent carbon-free electrical energy capability at Federal amenities over the quantity introduced on-line in 2022, leading to 27 MW of extra clean-energy capability. The tasks will assist Federal funding go additional by leveraging greater than $361 million in non-public funding.

Information merchandise from DOE