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Solar energy helps power base

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amy Abbott
  • 452nd Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. --  March ARB is using solar-energy panels to save money and the environment.

Workers began building a photovoltaic array project June 27, 2006. It became fully operational May 17.

The goal of the project is to cut power costs, reduce energy consumption and comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Base civil engineers expect the solar panels will produce 711,690 kilowatt-hours annually.

An average American household consumes 10,656 kwh per year, according to the Department of Energy. That means March ARB's solar panels could power nearly 70 households for a year.

Sal Aguilar, an electrical engineer intern who began working on base during the project's construction, said the solar panels are a good source of environmentally friendly, renewable energy.

"It constantly collects solar energy and converts it into energy that goes back into the grid, which is the power lines, and in turn services the whole entire base," Mr. Aguilar said.

"It is a renewable fuel using solar power and that is a big plus right now since we are not depleting resources. As far as Air Force-wide goes, we were the first ones to do a project of this particular size."

The system is huge compared to systems at most other bases and sits atop two large carports on base. It costs $4,576,753 to build and was funded through the Energy Conservation Investment Program.

"Financially, it has a pay back of 10 years, which means whatever we spent we will have made back. Part of that is through our electric bill that will be decreased every month because of what this is putting into our system," Mr. Aguilar said.

During the summer months, the base's electric bill runs as high as $500,000 to $600,000 per month. The new solar panels should decrease yearly costs by at least 10 percent, resulting in an enormous chunk of money saved by tax payers.

"The whole point of this is not only energy savings costs," Mr. Aguilar said "We're also, in turn, supplementing our consumption we use and complying with Air Force policy."

President Bush signed an energy bill Aug. 8, 2005, requiring federal agencies to reduce energy consumption in their buildings by 20 percent of what it had been in 2003 by the year 2015.

"I think this was an important step, especially here in California," said Mr. Aguilar. "We really are the leading state for a lot of energy saving ideas.

"I also think it is really important that the government get involved in environmentally friendly alternatives like this (project)," he said. "It will show the general public that things like these work, and they too should pursue projects like these."

Base electrical engineer Jeff Fong initiated March's photovoltaic array project four years ago. Since then his successor, Larry Delacruz, has taken over and completed the project.

Now completed and running, the project has proved to be not only economically resourceful but also an innovative answer to protecting the environment. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)