A new way to go from Blue to Green

  • Published
  • By Capt. Erika Yepsen
  • PACAF Public Affairs
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii --  While Airmen and new recruits at basic training still "cross into the blue," Airmen at Pacific Air Forces are looking for new ways to cross into the green - through reducing energy demands, increasing energy supplies and changing the culture.

These methods form the three pillars of the Air Force's plan to meet federal law requirements to reduce its annual energy intensity by 30 percent of its 2003 figures by 2015.

The U.S. federal government is the largest buyer of energy products in the world, and the Department of Defense consumes 91 percent of that energy. This poses special challenges for the Air Force, which uses more than three times the energy of the Navy and nearly four times the energy the Army uses, most of which is aviation-related, according to the Air Force's 2010 Energy Plan.

In order to reduce Air Force energy consumption to meet the federally mandated goals, PACAF officials have already initiated a number of programs such as converting sport utility vehicles to more fuel-efficient models and installing motion activated lighting systems. Each base has also stepped up to the plate, creating initiatives to save energy.

At Misawa, the Operations Group coordinated with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to turn off airfield lights after the last mission of the day, saving approximately $56,000 with just the flip of a switch. In Alaska, Airmen are taking the same cold environment that increases their energy requirements and using it to their advantage by using solar walls to pre-heat air before it passes through the building's heating system. The reflection of sun off the snow adds to the input and the warmer air produced then requires less energy to be heated to the necessary temperatures.

Hawaii Airmen have taken green high-tech through a solar-powered hydrogen production and fueling station. Airmen at the 15th Airlift Wing teamed with the Air Force Advanced Power Technology Office and the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies to create the station. By combining solar power with the hydrogen plant, the team has made hydrogen a renewable fuel, according to Tom Quinn, HCATT director.

Each of the projects PACAF undertakes is designed to pay for itself in no more than 10 years, said Lou Schiffl, the PACAF Civil Engineering Operation Programs and Support Chief, and some projects will pay for themselves in a matter of just a few years.

An example Schiffl offers is lighting retrofit projects, which PACAF has executed at Elmendorf, Hickam, Kadena and Misawa Air Bases. More than 3,000 energy inefficient lights have been replaced with more efficient lights, a project which will pay for itself in savings in just two years.

Since 2003, PACAF has reduced its energy intensity by 18 percent, but the savings are starting to slow down.

"Our energy savings are starting to plateau as we finish the easier projects," Schiffl said. "We've taken care of the 'low-hanging fruit.'"

Continuing to reduce energy requirements is even more critical as energy costs continue to rise, said Chris Wright, PACAF Energy Manager.

To continue the downward trend in energy requirements, PACAF is getting creative. Officials have initiated an Energy, Condition and Optimization plan which incorporates an existing requirement to decrease the Air Force facility footprint by 20 percent by 2020 and matches it to energy goals by assessing building utilization and condition.

The study, which is scheduled to begin this summer, will assess 75 percent of the highest energy-using buildings on all PACAF bases, and will examine lighting, water and insulation in the buildings. By matching all this data in one location, we will be able to maximize facility usage to minimize energy requirements, said Schiffl.

"We can save a lot of money if we have one less building consuming energy. Then if we identify the most energy-efficient building or repairs that are needed to make buildings energy-efficient, we will be using our energy wisely, which will reduce our energy demand," Schiffl said.

While Schiffl and his team are busily thinking of ways to reduce energy demands and increase supplies, the third pillar of the Air Force plan, changing the culture, is evident at PACAF headquarters on Hickam Air Force Base as Airmen drive government owned hydrogen-fueled vehicles past houses with solar panels on the roofs.