Technical Assistance for Military Installations

NREL is helping the U.S. Air Force guide and implement an energy security plan focused on a microgrid at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The project will identify a microgrid that will provide onsite power for critical loads in the event of utility loss. Working with the Air Force Academy and Colorado Springs utilities, NREL has developed a detailed scope of the project, which includes analyzing the design and technical scope of the microgrid  (critical loads, generation sources, operational requirements, etc.).

In 2012, nine pilot projects were chosen for the Army Net Zero Initiative to achieve net zero energy by 2020. A net zero energy installation produces as much energy onsite as it uses over the course of a year. Working with the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Installations, Energy and Environment, NREL is developing net zero strategies for each of the nine projects, which include six net zero energy installations, two integrated net zero installations, and all Oregon National Guard installations. Learn more about the Army Net Zero Energy Initiative.

To help Fort Bliss, Texas, reach its goal of energy self-sufficiency by 2015, NREL proposed a hybrid power facility that generates up to 130 megawatts of power as part of the solution. Learn more about NREL's biopower and waste-to-energy solutions.

Fort Carson, Colorado, has set a goal to be net zero energy, water, and waste by 2020 through the use of energy efficiency and alternative energy technologies. NREL works with Fort Carson to lead technology demonstrations, provide design and technical assistance, and research methods for reducing energy use in new and existing buildings. Learn more.

NREL evaluated advanced conversion technologies, such as gasification, to deploy a 30-ton-per-day waste-to-energy (WTE) facility at Fort Irwin, California. With the Army Environmental Command, NREL visited several sites currently utilizing advance conversion technologies and made recommendations for Fort Irwin's Directorate of Public Works to consider. The installation is currently seeking funding to develop this project. Learn more about NREL's biopower and WTE solutions.

NREL is helping the Navy evaluate renewable  energy technologies for deployment at Joint Base Pearl Harbor—Hickam in Hawaii. A waste-to-energy (WTE) project has been proposed that would use cardboard and discarded materials to generate about 70 kilowatts of electricity for the Hickam Commissary. NREL is conducting baseline testing and expects the WTE unit to arrive at Hickam in the spring of 2013. Learn more about NREL's biopower and WTE solutions.

To help the U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Miramar improve energy security and move toward net-zero energy goals, NREL performed an assessment at Miramar to evaluate the potential for energy reduction. In the end, NREL established a framework for reaching net-zero energy at military installations across all branches that will help military leadership select the best projects for meeting DoD energy goals. Learn more about NREL's work at Miramar.

With support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Installations, Energy and Environment, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point's Directorate of Public Works (DPW), NREL has partnered with West Point's energy team to evaluate renewable energy projects identified in the net zero strategy. NREL is also evaluating options to improve energy security at West Point and providing technical and financial analysis for DPW and Army Environmental Command, which is supporting the environmental assessment of renewable energy development at West Point.