DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- As you probably know, D-M is home to more than 7,000 Airmen, 2,500 civilians, and over 100 aircraft that make up a 22- squadron wing including three fighter squadrons and two tenant group flying and rescue organizations. In order to provide and sustain mission readiness, the Desert Lightning Team must wisely use our natural resources.
The world's demand on all of our assets impacts the environment in many ways. The 355th Civil Engineer Squadron strives to pursue environmental impact minimization, compliance with environmental regulations, and environmental sustainability at all times while supporting our servicemen and women.
For our efforts, the base was recently awarded the Headquarters Air Combat Command General Thomas D. White Environmental Quality Award for best installation.
Besides our desire to do the right thing by conserving water and energy, we are mandated to conserve resources based on the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act and other legal statutes. The primary goal is to reduce energy use by three percent a year and water use by two percent a year. In rough terms, this means our installation must reduce our consumption by about 1.2MWh of electricity and 3,900 therms of gas per year. Below are some exciting examples of recent projects and others on the horizon to help achieve and surpass these goals:
One of the Department of Defense's largest solar power installations is set to begin construction in fiscal year 2012. This project will produce approximately 13 megawatts of AC power on D-M and supply approximately 35 percent of D-M's annual electrical usage. D-M solar projects will reduce CO2 emissions by almost 43,000 tons, coal usage by 20,000 tons, and water usage by 26,000,000 gallons at the Tucson Electric Power plant every year!
High bay lighting retrofits across 38 hangar and warehouse facilities are being added to remove inefficient high intensity discharge lighting and put tubular high output fluorescent lights in its place. The T5HOs are more efficient by approximately 50 percent with improved light quality. Unlike the HID lights they replace, T5HOs are an 'instant on' technology which means they can be controlled with occupancy or photo sensors.
New central plants with ice storage are being planned to allow the use of off-peak power to generate and store thermal energy in the form of ice. This eice can then be used to cool buildings during high use times, again reducing peak energy demands and charges.
A solar air conditioning system is being tested at the Youth Center under a technology certification program. When completed, the system will be able to cool the building using solar thermal power.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a process that is being used in every new building on the installation. The LEED principals help promote resource efficiency, healthy indoor environmental quality, the latest energy systems, use of recycled materials and innovative design principals.
Recently finished projects to include the new Fire Crash Rescue Station and the newest 144 person dormitory, were constructed with sustainable and energy saving techniques. Using LEED, from the U.S. Green Building Council, to promote sustainable building construction, the projects aim at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor air quality, and stewardship of resources. The Fire Crash Rescue Station will be LEED Silver certified and the dorm will achieve LEED Gold status.
We've also worked to support our housing privatization partners reach forward with energy initiatives. In 2009, Soaring Heights Communities installed solar photovoltaic panels on 375 homes. Two point seven MW of power generated from the roof-mount systems is going into the local electrical grid, in addition to 3.28 MW generated from ground-mount systems. Plans for an additional 3 MW are in development which would result in 75 percent solar capacity in the DM privatized housing development.
Being "green" in the desert requires a concerted effort by every Airman on D-M. Do you report water leaks when you see them? Do you shut off the heat or air conditioning over weekends? Can you turn off lights more often? To date, our efforts have resulted in the base using less energy today than we did in 2003 despite mission expansion. Everyone must participate to ensure we think green, build green and fly blue!