FLS Energy installs PV on the President’s Marine One helicopter hanger
Solar panels produce electricity, save money
Published: January 04, 2012
The roof-mounted system has 500 Suniva ART-245 panels tilted at five-degree angle to optimize solar energy production. The system is expected to produce 150,000 kWh of electricity per year and reduce the electric bill by $10,500 per year. The HMX-1 solar project is Quantico’s second, and largest, solar photovoltaic project. The base’s first solar array, a 20 kW array, was installed in 2009 on the Marine Corps Marathon Building.
Construction on the MCAF solar photovoltaic system began last March 2011 and was completed in September. FLS Energy, a solar contractor based out of Asheville, N.C., installed the system.
“FLS Energy was proud to partner with the Marines as they strive to meet their energy mandates,” said Tyler Johnson, FLS Energy’s director of federal business development.
The clean energy produced by the project will not only reduce the installation’s energy costs but also will help the base meet energy mandates. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires expanded use of renewable energy, with 25 percent of energy being renewable by 2025. The secretary of the Navy has set a more stringent target: Produce 50 percent of DON’s energy demand from alternative sources of energy by 2020. The SECNAV’s aggressive target was set as part of its energy reform project to improve energy security and pursue energy independence.
When the design of the HMX-1 hangar began, it was required that all DON military construction projects built be LEED Silver Certified. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a green building certification system that was developed by the United States Green Building Council. The LEED program provides a framework for designing and constructing sustainable buildings. Projects are awarded credits in categories of such as energy, water, materials, environmental quality and site sustainability. Depending on the number of credits a project receives, a building may achieve LEED Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum certification.
On May 11, 2011, the SECNAV announced that all DON MILCON projects must meet LEED Gold standards after Fiscal Year 2012. This requirement will improve the energy efficiency of new buildings constructed at Quantico even further than the existing standard.
The solar photovoltaic system on the hangar is expected to provide two credits toward the LEED certification. The building’s energy efficient lighting and HVAC system, low flow fixtures and other energy efficient technologies are expected to provide the rest of the credits required to achieve LEED Silver Certification.
The facilities division capitalized on bid savings from the FY2009 military construction program and re-invested the savings into energy efficiency enhancements, such as the installation of solar photovoltaic panels, for several projects.
“The Type II hangar for HMX-1 was the first project to take advantage of these bid savings.” said Cmdr. Erik Breitenbach, Marine Corps Base Quantico’s public works officer. “Early in the project we made structural changes to the facility to accommodate the increased weight that would be added due to the solar panels.”
The Child Development Center, the Marine Security Guard training battalion and the Officer Candidate School dining hall projects also leveraged MILCON program savings to install solar photovoltaic systems. These solar photovoltaic projects will start producing clean electricity this year.
