Innovation helps Eglin go green on energy

  • Published
  • By Mike Spaits
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  As the biggest electrical consumer in Northwest Florida, Eglin Air Force Base is proving Kermit the Frog to be wrong - it can, in fact, be "easy to be green." 

On Tuesday, representatives from the Choctawhatchee Electrical Cooperative, Inc., presented members from the 96th Civil Engineer Group with a certificate worth $81,000 in capital credits that the base then converted to renewable energy credits. The credits are based on the amount of electricity purchased during 1988. Since CHELCO is a not-for-profit cooperative, they return a percentage of their profits to their members annually after 20 years. 

Prior to this year, CHELCO's capital credit dividend was returned to Eglin in the form of a check for cash; however, that money went straight to the Treasury Department. By requesting they convert them to renewable energy credits, Eglin keeps the return local and also make strides to helping the environment and conserving energy. 

"This is the kind of initiative that will really make a difference in helping Eglin set the standard as the leader in energy conservation for the Air Force," said Col. Bruce McClintock, 96th Air Base Wing commander. 

Renewable energy credits are tradable environmental commodities which represent proof that one megawatt-hour of electricity was generated from an eligible renewable energy resource. In this case, Eglin purchased power from a plant in Campbelton, Fla., that captures trapped methane gas produced in a landfill and used it as fuel for an engine/generator that produces electrical energy. 

That specific electrical energy is considered "green" because when used as fuel, the methane is converted into carbon dioxide. Methane is about 20 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than is carbon dioxide. 

The Air Force policy is to increase facility renewable energy use at annual targets of 5 percent by Fiscal Year 2010, 7.5 percent by FY13, and 25 percent by FY25 - 50 percent of the increase must come from new renewable sources. 

Additionally, in January, the Florida Public Service Commission adopted a standard to require the state's investor-owned utilities to generate 20 percent of their power from renewable resources by 2020. 

According to Teresa Jordan, 96th CEG Engineering Energy Chief, this is just one of many efforts Eglin is working on to reduce energy consumption and mitigate harmful environmental substances. 

"This is a very exciting time because we've got so many projects getting off the ground right now that are going to shape the future of Eglin's energy use for years to come," said Ms. Jordan. 

A biomass and waste-to-energy feasibility study is underway at Eglin to identify material that can be converted into useful forms of energy at the base. And these are just a few of the efforts currently being studied and developed. 

Americans import roughly 58 percent of the country's petroleum needs. It is anticipated that the US will continue to import an increasing percentage of energy supplies going forward. This increased demand for imports, coupled with dwindling resources and instability in the Arabian Gulf region makes clear the need for an effective energy strategy. 

The overarching vision in the Air Force Energy Initiative is "Make Energy a Consideration in All We Do." According to the AF policy, this initiative will be met by reducing demand, increasing supply and changing the culture within.