News

Posted On: 12/07/2009

Honeywell helps Fort Dix meet renewable goals with solar power

PlantServices.com

Honeywell has installed two solar arrays at Fort Dix, N.J., a training and mobilization center for the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard. The solar installations are part of a $17.6-million program that will decrease energy consumption at the post by almost 10% and water use by more than 5%. The program, which includes a variety of energy-efficient facility and infrastructure upgrades, will help Fort Dix meet federal efficiency and renewable energy mandates, among other benefits.

One of the largest solar projects for the Army, the 3,200 photovoltaic panels that make up the arrays will generate approximately 815,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually — enough to power more than 75 homes per year. The arrays are mounted on the roofs of the Army Reserve 99th Regional Support Command Headquarters and the post’s Strategic Deployment Site Building, a temperature-controlled warehouse for equipment storage.

The panels will produce enough energy to meet nearly all the electricity needs of both facilities, with excess power distributed back onto the grid. They will also help the post meet renewable energy goals from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, mandating at least 7.5% of annual energy consumption at federal facilities comes from a renewable resource by end of 2013.

Fort Dix will finance the entire program through energy and operational savings guaranteed by Honeywell under a performance contract with the Army, approximately $1.2 million per year for the next 20 years. This ensures the upgrades will not effect capital budgets or require additional taxpayer dollars. In addition, the program is expected to produce more than $20 million in excess savings for the post.

The work will also have a significant environmental impact, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 33 million pounds per year. According to figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this is equivalent to removing 3,200 cars from the road.

Along with the solar panels, Honeywell installed controls to optimize the cycling time and efficiency of natural gas boilers at more than 80 facilities, and replaced nine aging boilers at the Visiting Officers’ Quarters (VOQ) and Doughboy Inn with heat pumps and occupancy sensors in each room to reduce the use of heating and air-conditioning equipment.

Additional work included lighting upgrades, and expanding the post’s energy monitoring and control system to better match the heating and cooling delivery with the needs of the soldiers and civilian employees. As a result, energy costs will decrease, while working and training conditions improve.

Honeywell also modified the irrigation system at the golf course to use treated water from the post’s wastewater facility, which is expected to reduce annual water consumption by 29 million gallons. The company will provide onsite technicians as well to maintain optimal performance of the new equipment and building automation systems.