Current:Home > InvestThe Pentagon will install rooftop solar panels as Biden pushes clean energy in federal buildings-LoTradeCoin
The Pentagon will install rooftop solar panels as Biden pushes clean energy in federal buildings
View Date:2024-12-23 21:29:59
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department will install solar panels on the Pentagon, part of the Biden administration’s plan to promote clean energy and “reestablish the federal government as a sustainability leader.”
The Pentagon is one of 31 government sites that are receiving $104 million in Energy Department grants that are expected to double the amount of carbon-free electricity at federal facilities and create 27 megawatts of clean-energy capacity while leveraging more than $361 million in private investment, the Energy Department said.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, announced the projects Wednesday at the Pentagon.
The solar panels are among several improvements set for the Pentagon, which also will install a heat pump system and solar thermal panels to reduce reliance on natural gas and fuel oil combustion systems
Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of Defense for energy, installations and environment, said the projects will improve energy resilience and reliability at the Pentagon and other military sites in the U.S. and Germany. He called energy use “central to everything we do.’'
Solar panels will provide “an uninterrupted power source’’ at the Pentagon in case of a cyberattack or other outage to the bulk grid, as well as reduce strain on the building’s power load, Owens said in an interview.
Because of the Pentagon’s “relatively congested air space” outside Washington, solar panels were the best option for clean energy, he said. The building is a nationally registered historic landmark, so officials will work with local officials to ensure the panels meet all requirements.
The grant program also includes energy upgrades at Naval bases in Georgia and Washington state, as well as the Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Tennessee.
In addition to the Defense Department, projects also include installation of thermally efficient windows at the Energy Department headquarters in Washington, as well as efficiency upgrades to the Commerce and Transportation departments.
Other agencies selected for projects include the Interior and Veterans Affairs departments, as well as the General Services Administration, Office of Personnel Management and Social Security Administration.
The program also will make the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii a net-zero emissions facility. The site run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ceased all measurements and radio transmissions in late November after a lava eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano cut the power line and buried over a mile of the access road to the observatory. Since November, access to the site has been limited to costly weekly visits by helicopter to collect limited atmospheric data, officials said.
The grant program will install solar panels and batteries at the observatory to make the facility a net-zero site for carbon emissions, bring atmospheric science instrumentation back online and significantly improve the site’s climate resiliency, officials said.
“As the observatory is considered the definitive source for documenting the increased atmospheric burden of fossil fuel emissions, this project has the unique ability to eliminate 100% of the combustion of fossil-fueled electrical power to make those critical measurements,’' the Energy Department said.
The funding announced Wednesday is the first of three disbursements expected from the Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies or AFFECT program included in the 2021 infrastructure law. A total of $250 million was awarded to the program, which was established in 1992 to help agencies cut energy consumption.
The projects align with Biden’s 2021 executive order that called for a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from federal operations by 2030 and a net-zero building portfolio by 2045.
The projects also include installation of solar panels at the U.S. Army Garrison in Wiesbaden, Germany, as well as energy and water efficiency improvements and solar panels at the Maui Air Traffic Control Tower in Kahului, Hawaii.
veryGood! (13)
Related
- It's Red Cup Day at Starbucks: Here's how to get your holiday cup and cash in on deals
- 22 UN peacekeepers injured when convoy leaving rebel area hit improvised explosive devices, UN says
- Andy Cohen Asks CNN to Allow Alcohol for New Year’s Eve Broadcast
- EU envoy in surprise visit to Kosovo to push for further steps in normalization talks with Serbia
- Stocks soared on news of Trump's election. Bonds sank. Here's why.
- Daniel Jones injury updates: Giants QB out for season with torn ACL
- Exonerated ‘Central Park Five’ member set to win council seat as New York votes in local elections
- Tiger King star Doc Antle pleads guilty to federal wildlife trafficking charge
- Jared Goff stats: Lions QB throws career-high 5 INTs in SNF win over Texans
- James Corden to host SiriusXM show 'This Life of Mine with James Corden': 'A new chapter'
Ranking
- Chiefs block last-second field goal to save unbeaten record, beat Broncos
- Ex-Philadelphia labor leader on trial on federal charges of embezzling from union
- Special counsel in Hunter Biden case to testify before lawmakers in ‘unprecedented step’
- Nearly 1M chickens will be killed on a Minnesota farm because of bird flu
- California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
- Car dealer agrees to refunds after allegations of discrimination against Native Americans
- Customers at Bank of America, Wells Fargo and other banks grappling with deposit delays
- Matthew Perry Got Chandler’s Cheating Storyline Removed From Friends
Recommendation
-
Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym After 3 Days
-
Félix Verdejo, ex-boxer convicted of killing pregnant lover Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz, gets life sentence
-
Michigan football served notice of potential disciplinary action from Big Ten
-
Protests turn ugly as pressure mounts on Spain’s acting government for amnesty talks with Catalans
-
Disruptions to Amtrak service continue after fire near tracks in New York City
-
Sofia Richie Says She's Beyond Obsessed With Husband Elliot Grainge in Birthday Tribute
-
Russia finalizes pullout from Cold War-era treaty and blames US and its allies for treaty’s collapse
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have Not Been Invited to King Charles III's 75th Birthday