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McGuire goes 'green' with solar panel installation

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Bekah Phy
  • 87th Air Base Wing public affairs
Continuing efforts to go "green," reduce energy cost and consumption, and become an energy-neutral base by 2015, McGuire recently completed two solar panel installation projects. 

The first of the projects was a 14 kilowatt installation at the McGuire Library that was commissioned in February and the most recent was a 75 kilowatt installation at the McGuire Medical Clinic, which was commissioned March 27. McGuire personnel are also working toward converting a warehouse with the 87th Civil Engineer Squadron into Air Mobility Command's first energy-neutral facility. 

The solar panel installation decision resulted from federal renewable energy mandates established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, said Barry Miller, 87th Civil Engineer Squadron asset management flight. "Those mandates, combined with New Jersey's Solar Renewable Energy Credit market and McGuire's aggressive energy renewable goals of five percent by 2011, 10 percent by 2013 and becoming an energy neutral base by 2015 were the guiding factors toward developing the solar PV projects here," he said. 

While attending a renewable energy conference at a nearby university, Col. Glenn Yap, 87th Medical Group commander and Col. Donald Cole, 87th Medical Support Squadron commander, helped secure funding for the green project at the medical clinic. Colonel Yap said the solar projects not only support the installation goal to conserve resources and its designation as a model energy base, but they will also provide a positive return on investment for taxpayers over the next decade. 

"The solar photovoltaic systems will collect energy from the sun's rays and convert it to electricity for facility power," Mr. Miller said. "The electric power provided by the sun will be used in the same manner as from a regular electricity source - for lighting, computers and other equipment. The solar PV system will reduce McGuire's electric consumption and cost and will benefit the environment by reducing CO2 emissions." 

"The 14kw system at the library will generate approximately 7 percent of the total annual electricity consumed by the facility - the annual cost savings will be about $10,000," Mr. Miller said. "The 75kw system at the medical clinic will generate approximately three percent of the total annual electric energy consumed by the facility. The costing savings from that project will be about $43,000 annually." 

In addition to the solar panel installations, McGuire has several other green initiatives in the works to reach its goal of becoming an energy neutral base by 2015. 

"Plans are underway for an additional six megawatt photovoltaic system at McGuire," Mr. Miller said. "... There are also plans to develop and install a biomass test facility on base, which will use organic waste material to produce fuel, electricity and gas." 

In 2007, the office of the secretary of the Air Force, through the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century program, selected McGuire AFB and Barksdale AFB, La., as Air Force "Model" Energy Bases. 

The Air Force made energy conservation a priority by identifying two proving grounds for innovative energy ideas. The ideas from both base and command levels here and in Louisiana will be implemented and fine-tuned for use at bases around the world.