McGuire (Air Force Base) goes 'green' with solar panel installation (goal: energy neutral by 2015)

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.amc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123142087

McGuire goes 'green' with solar panel installation

by Senior Airman Bekah Phy
87th Air Base Wing public affairs

3/31/2009 - McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- 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.

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