The Department of Energy announced plans to install solar panels at the Pentagon and 30 other federal sites on the day after workers were told to stay home because of a snowstorm that shuttered schools and government offices in D.C., Virginia and Maryland.
On Wednesday, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced that the Pentagon would receive a slice of $104 million in federal grants from her department’s Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) program. The program is part of the Biden administration’s goal to be eco-friendly and promote clean energy.
“The federal government is the world’s largest consumer of energy, and conserving as much power as possible in our buildings and vehicle fleets benefits taxpayers and bolsters our national security,” Ms. Granholm said Wednesday at the Pentagon, where she unveiled the program. “The projects we’re announcing today will help secure our energy independence while we fight climate change and create a healthier environment for all Americans.”
The Pentagon project will include the installation of rooftop solar panels, a heat-recovery heat pump system, and solar thermal panels to reduce reliance on natural gas and fuel oil combustion systems, officials said.
“We are in the midst of a once-in-a-generation global energy transition. Recent advancements in clean, renewable technology are game-changing for the nation — and for the Department of Defense,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said Wednesday. She said adapting to the energy transition was critical for “maintaining the country’s strategic advantages.”
She called the new program a “win for warfighters and taxpayers alike.”
The Energy Department said the 31 selected projects are expected to double the amount of new carbon-free electricity capacity at federal facilities over the amount purchased online in 2022, resulting in 27 megawatts of additional clean-energy capacity. “The projects will help federal funding go further by leveraging more than $361 million in private investment, officials said.
Pentagon officials said solar panels were the best option for clean energy because of the “relatively congested air space” outside Washington. Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, said solar panels would provide an uninterrupted power source at the Pentagon in the event of a cyberattack or other outage to the grid.
Mr. Owens called energy use “central to everything we do.”
The Energy Department also will fund improvements at military bases in Georgia, Nevada and South Carolina, among other locations. Whidbey Island Naval Station in Washington State will be able to eliminate its natural gas-fired steam plant and install new electric heating and cooling systems.
Meanwhile, the U.S Army garrison in Wiesbaden, Germany will add solar photovoltaic panels that will provide electricity directly from sunlight at six barracks, an office complex and a command and control center, officials said.
Efforts by the Pentagon — reportedly the largest single institutional customer for fossil fuel in the world — to “go green” under President Biden have generated some partisan pushback on Capitol Hill.
Republicans and Democrats sparred repeatedly over mandates in the recently-passed 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that would have accelerated the U.S. military’s adoption of electric-powered vehicles for its vast non-tactical fleets of trucks, cars and other rolling stock.
Constructed on an accelerated schedule during the early days of World War II, the Pentagon is the headquarters of America’s military establishment and one of the most iconic buildings in the country. It is also a nationally registered landmark, meaning the installation of solar panels will have to meet all historical requirements.
— This article was based in part on wire service dispatches.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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