Week before last, I attended an Energy and Facilities Management Workshop put on by the Society of American Military Engineers and the International Facilities Management Association. If you’re not familiar with either or both, allow me to suggest that you Google the two and consider establishing contact with them, as it may be to your advantage.
Here’s the deal in a nutshell. The DoD is under the gun to reduce the energy needs of itself and its offspring. To put things in perspective, the federal government consumes 1% of US energy (or 1,096 trillion Btu), of which 80% (819 trillion Btu) is consumed by the DoD. In order to achieve a more sustainable posture, it intends to accomplish the following:
* Produce or procure renewable energy equal to 25% of electrical energy consumed by FY2025
* Purchase renewable electricity: 3% in FY 2007–2009; 5% in FY 2010–FY2012; and 7.5% in FY 2013 and thereafter
* At least 50% of statutory (EPAct) goals come from “new” renewable sources placed into service after Jan 1, 1999
Bound by the same requirements, the services have their own individual programs to achieve them:
Air Force…the “Big 3” goals
* Energy intensity (Btu used per square foot of facility space): reduce intensity 3% per year; baseline in 2003
* Water intensity (gallons used per square foot of facility space): reduce intensity 2% per year; baseline in 2007
* Renewable energy (renewable energy used compared with total electrical energy used): escalating scale; 5% goal in 2011
Navy
* By 2020, 50% of total department energy consumption will come from alternative sources.
* By 2020, at least 50% of shore-based energy requirements will be met by alternative sources, and 50% of department installations will be net zero.
* By 2015, department will reduce petroleum use by 50%.
* Evaluation of energy factors will be mandatory in awarding contracts for systems and buildings.
Army
* At least 50% of statutory (EPAct) goals come from “new” renewable sources placed into service after Jan 1, 1999.
* Net zero energy installation produces as much energy as it uses over the course of a year.
* Net zero waste installation reduces, reuses, and recovers wastestreams, converting them to resource values with zero solid waste to landfills.
* Net Zero Water Installation limits the consumption of freshwater resources and returns water back to the same watershed so as not to deplete the groundwater and surface water resources of the region in both quantity and quality.
* A Net Zero Installation applies an integrated approach to the management of energy, water, and waste to capture and commercialize the resource value and/or enhance the ecological productivity of land, water, and air.
The question before us is whether there’s a role for us to play in these initiatives, and I feel the answer is yes.
In this regard, let me offer one potential scenario and ask that you build on it or shoot it full of holes, but regardless of your tack, I’d like you to consider the situation and give me your feedback.
Scenario
Contract with a military facility in your area to provide it with feedstock for energy production based on waste delivered to your publicly owned and operated facility whose reliability is achieved through flow control. In turn, the military facility contracts with an energy provider to produce energy from this feedstock. By contracting to purchase both the feedstock and energy, the military facility provides both entities with the basis for funding their facilities and operations.
Your thoughts please.
************************
Upcoming Forester University Webinars
February 23rd, 2012
Stormwater Pond BMP Management: Design, Operation & Maintenance
Stormwater ponds are one of the most common urban rainwater runoff BMPs thanks to their reliability and predictability, but performance is design and maintenance dependent. Join Shahram (Shane) Missaghi of the University of Minnesota to explore stormwater pond design, operation and maintenance presented in an integrated stormwater pond management plan that effectively manages your stormwater and protects the water quality of your natural resources. Read more…
March 8th, 2012
Reducing Water, Energy, and Tax Bills for Facilities
Are you overpaying on your facility’s three largest variable costs: water, energy, and taxes? Join Fraser Allport, CEO, to explore how to reduce your facility’s utility and tax bills and future-proof for sustained performance by combing green technologies (green hardware and smart software) with government tax incentives in a cost-reduction action plan designed to obtain, quantifiable and sustainable resource and cost-savings results. Read more…
March 22nd, 2012
5 Proven Social Media Tactics to Engage Your Audience
Extend your outreach and campaign effectiveness with social media. Join Erica Hooper, Strategic Director at S. Groner Associates, to explore social media's (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.) opportunities, myths, and real-world tested and proven social media tactics designed to engage your audience.. Read more…