VICENZA, Italy -- U.S. Army Garrison Italy successfully verified the efficiency of the Central Energy Plant (CEP) at Caserma Del Din through unprecedented field-testing in partnership with AIM, the local municipality-controlled utilities company that supplies power to the American military community here.
The opportunity to test the capacity of the CEP came about when AIM asked the Army to go off the commercial grid and produce power while the utility company completed a major upgrade to some of its electrical substations in downtown Vicenza.
According to Marco Bellot, Operations & Maintenance division chief at the garrison's Directorate of Public Works, the city's upgrade provided the garrison team a solid opportunity to join efforts with the local utility distributor over eight days to develop and test an energy contingency plan flexible enough to sustain the base's energy needs if ever called upon.
Basically, this allowed DPW to test and further validate the garrison's ability to meet the Army's green energy objectives, he said.
The AIM upgrade gave garrison the opportunity to test systems and procedures in order to provide energy in emergencies such as non-availability of the outside grid and under high temperature weather. After this event, DPW knows it is prepared to respond with adequate procedures (both technical and operational) in case of an emergency situation, Bellot said.
"With 3.5 megawatt of the total power obtained directly through solar panels, cogeneration at Del Din is a highly efficient way of producing electrical and thermal power simultaneously. It is a great example of sustainable resource management at our installation."
The eight days of continuous operation tested the reliability of the CEP by providing uninterrupted power to the base. The abbreviated testing period did not provide any significant cost savings for the U.S. government and, Bellot emphasized, that was not the purpose of the test anyway.
"Because of our cogeneration plant, we could develop a solution that ensured uninterrupted service to the military base and the Italian off-post community as a whole. At the same time, our resources allowed the city to properly install and safely connect the new main electrical substations safely throughout town," said Mauro Martini, O&M mechanical engineer in charge.
The coordinated effort between AIM and the garrison was a testament to the organizations' longstanding relationship. As a result, the situation was the impetus to testing energy management systems at Del Din while alleviating the power burden on the local municipality as it underwent system upgrades.
Importantly, it demonstrated that Del Din has a reliable power system in place that will keep the base up and running, absent access to power from an outside utility provider in the event of a major accident or natural disaster.
"Called to deal with a first-of-its kind challenge, our O&M division team responded with enthusiasm to the opportunity it presented," said Martini. "With very short notice, our guys were immediately available. They rotated through eight-hour shifts day and night to monitor the co-generators and the photovoltaic panels used simultaneously for the first time. Their dedication and commitment allowed operations to run smoothly and ensured the success of this pilot test-- truly a game-changer here."
Staff members involved in the operation were: Thomas Raffaello, lead technician, and teammates Paolo Liani, Loris Tolfo, Dario Legarizzi, Mireno Piccoli, Cristian Roea, Federico Roea, Mauro Gregolin, Davide Vaccarin, Davide Seganfreddo, Omar Perin, Vittorio Tognoni, Silvio Visonà and Cristiano Tessari.
The O&M's team effort was lauded by the garrison command team. Wesley A. Leisinger, deputy to the garrison commander, said: "I am extremely proud of all the behind-the-scene efforts of our amazing O&M team. This is a perfect example of how important our Italian professionals are to the U.S. Army mission. Time and time again they prove to be a vital part of this community."
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