“Currently the peak load of this system is 220 kilowatts,” said 75th Civil Engineering Group director Harry Briesmaster, during the formal commissioning ceremony.
“This is enough energy and power to support 25 homes a year,” he said. “By tying this generation directly into the base electrical grid system, this renewable source power is made available to all of our tenants on this installation as well.”
Power generated by the solar panels is fed into the HAFB power grid to offset energy used by Rocky Mountain Power, which is the normal base power supplier.
There are 22 arrays in the solar panel, and each array has 48 panels, with more waiting to be installed.
Up to one megawatt of power could eventually be produced when more funding is allocated to the base, Briesmaster said.
Work on the solar energy panel started about two years ago, said senior project manager Joe Price. He is with Ameresco, an independent energy solutions company. The firm began working with Hill six years ago to aid in installation of energy independence options.
Three or four renewable energy projects have been completed in that time, Price said.
The program is part of “inexpensive, reliable and renewable energy, while providing a guaranteed supply of electricity from a renewable energy source – utilizing energy from the sun,” said 75th Civil Engineering Squadron utility manager Dave Abbott.
“In its own small way, the photo cells help contribute to the base energy portfolio and assist us in exceeding the renewable energy requirements set forth in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007,” he said.
“If we get threatened outside of our fence, for example, even though it is just a small percentage of our total energy portfolio, right here is 25 homes worth of energy that nobody can really affect from off base,” said 7th Air Base Wing commander Col. Patrick Higby.
“This was just one project among many to foster renewable energy at Hill Air Force Base.”
The commander said the base is interested in pursuing further options for energy independence.
“Lots of other projects are still ongoing, and there is a very high potential of expansion in the future,” Higby said.
“Again, we will continue to seek opportunities like this and partner with industry and make the right and prudent choices for Hill, not only from an environmental perspective but also from an energy security perspective.
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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