Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe Africa Southwest Asia Public Affairs.
NAPLES, Italy [WorldofRenewables.com]
Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Europe Africa Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA) spearheaded several energy contracts that will help reduce energy consumption at Navy installations in Europe.
Through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) and the Energy Conservation Investment Program (ECIP), installations in Spain, Greece and Italy will become “green” facilities through renewable energy projects and system upgrades.
Capt. Jeff Borowy, commanding officer of NAVFAC EURAFSWA, credits the regional command for its spotlight on the energy program. “They have fully supported our energy champion, Dave Deiranieh, who has developed a world-class program,” said Borowy.
A Phase I ESPC was awarded on Jan. 20, 2010 for $8.3 million for energy-related work at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota. This is the largest energy contract ever awarded in the NAVFAC EURAFSWA Area of Responsibility, and these efforts will yield large and immediate benefits by significantly reducing installation energy consumption.
Work performed under this 13-year contract will also improve infrastructure reliability, and enhance operations and maintenance capabilities. Measures will include upgrading the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning and energy management control systems, incorporating water conservation measures in facilities and irrigation, solar photovoltaic (PV) renewable energy generation and large scale central boiler plant decentralization.
These efforts will bring NAVSTA Rota well within compliance with Executive Order 13423; Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management. They also clearly demonstrate to Spain, one of our host nations, the Navy’s commitment to energy independence and security while maintaining sound environmental stewardship.
NAVFAC EURAFSWA received $6.7 million in funding for their fiscal year (FY) 2010 ECIP program. This funding provides for five renewable energy projects, including large solar PV projects at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples, Italy; NSA Souda Bay, Greece; and Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella, Italy, as well as solar thermal heating to pools at NAS Sigonella.
The NSA Naples PV project transforms the Capodichino location to a “green” facility – a facility that is sustainable and environmentally conscious, reducing energy consumption, reliance on fossil fuels, and its carbon footprint – by covering the entire west parking garage with solar PV panels. With a capacity of 300 kilowatts and generating 345,000 kW hours per year, this system produces enough energy for an average of 35 U.S. homes.
Similarly, the NSA Souda Bay ECIP project will transform the installation’s image to a “green” facility by providing seven stand-alone solar carports with an overall capacity of 200 kW, producing over 275,000 kwh per year.
NAS Sigonella’s original FY2010 ECIP project also promotes green energy and environmental stewardship, while saving utility costs. This project replaces existing street lights with new solar street lights, as well as existing high-intensity discharge (HID) fixtures with solar light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures and batteries. Using LED lamps reduces maintenance costs, as these lamps have a life expectancy of 50,000 hours compared to the 20,000 hrs for HID lights.
“The success of EURAFSWA’s energy program can be attributed to the hard work at the installation level, supported by the region at the highest levels,” said NAVFAC EURAFSWA’s Utilities and Energy Management Product Line Coordinator, Dave Deiranieh. “It’s very exciting to witness the launch of this region’s energy program and be part of it. Given the successes we have been able to achieve in such a short time period really says a lot about the dedication, enthusiasm, and knowledge of all those involved.”
NAVFAC EURAFSWA executes over $600 million a year in construction, professional engineering and facilities services for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and NATO commands in those countries throughout Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia where the Navy is the DoD lead agent for military construction.
Source: U.S. European Command (EUCOM)