A new way to go from blue to green

by Capt. Erika Yepsen
Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs

5/24/2010 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) -- 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 officials' plan to meet federal requirements to reduce the Air Force's annual energy intensity by 30 percent of its 2003 figures by 2015.

U.S. government officials are the largest buyers of energy products in the world, and the Department of Defense members consume 91 percent of that energy. This poses special challenges for Air Force officials, whose members use 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 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 Air Base, Japan, operations group officials coordinated with officials from 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 preheat air before it passes through the building's heating system. The reflection of sunlight off the snow adds to the input, and the warmer air produced then requires less energy to be heated to the necessary temperatures.

Airmen in Hawaii have taken green high tech through a solar-powered hydrogen production and fueling station.

Airmen at the 15th Airlift Wing assigned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 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, said Tom Quinn, the HCATT director.

Each of the projects PACAF members undertake is designed to pay for itself in no more than 10 years and some projects will pay for themselves in a matter of just a few years, said Lou Schiffl, the PACAF civil engineering operation programs and support chief.

Lighting retrofit projects are an example of money-saving projects, Mr. Schiffl said. PACAF officials have executed these projects at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, JB Hickam, Kadena and Misawa Air Bases in Japan. More than 3,000 energy inefficient lights have been replaced with more efficient lights; a project that will pay for itself in savings in just two years.

Since 2003, PACAF members have reduced their 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," Mr. Schiffl said. "We've taken care of the 'low-hanging fruit.'"

Continuing to reduce energy requirements becomes even more critical as energy costs continue to rise, said Chris Wright, the PACAF energy manager.

To continue the downward trend in energy requirements, PACAF officials are getting creative. They have initiated an energy, condition and optimization plan that 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, Mr. Schiffl said.

"We can save a lot of money if we have one less building consuming energy," he said. "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.

While Mr. 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 JB Hickam as Airmen drive government-owned hydrogen-fueled vehicles past houses with solar panels on the roofs.