KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP, Hawaii - Workers install the new roof at Kilauea Military Camp's Building 84. Made of corrosion-resistant material integrated with thin film photovoltaic cell power generation, the high-tech roof is part of a rainwater-catchmen...
KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP, Hawaii - Maj. Gen. Michael J. Terry, commanding general, U.S. Army-Hawaii, officially dedicated Kilauea Military Camp's Building 84 Photovoltaic Roofing Project, in a ceremony, here, Oct. 21.
The project will soon be interconnected with Hawaiian Electric's grid to supply power to KMC, a joint-services resort located on the Big Island's Volcanoes National Park.
KMC's unique location within an environmentally-sensitive landscape with limited county resources provided an ideal testing ground for sustainable roofs and affordable electric power. In addition to the PV roof project, KMC uses its roofs as water-catchment systems.
With the PV project completion this past summer, this sustainability demonstration and test project will provide senior leadership with decision-making data to determine if similar projects should be started at other Army facilities in the Pacific Rim.
Initial cost savings are modest, but estimates based on current best practices, as well as projected maintenance and rehabilitation, find possible savings of $7,200 per year in energy bills, coupled with roof replacement cost savings of $40,000.
Based on the success of this testing phase, KMC may eventually be self-sufficient for all electricity requirements, with 7.6 acres of roofing platform that can be covered in PV systems. Combined with its award-winning water-catchment system, this program will further KMC's sustainability goals.
Terry commended KMC's efforts to reduce energy dependence and costs for local utilities, while promoting responsible stewardship of the environment and reducing the Army's carbon footprint in Hawaii's fragile green spaces.
Looking forward, KMC also plans to begin using alternative fuel vehicles, to research environmentally-thoughtful building design for low-cost heating and cooling, to build a hydrogen-production facility and to begin using hydrogen fuel cell electric shuttle buses in conjunction with the Hawaii National Park Service and other government agencies, in mid-2011.
Kilauea Military Camp
Kilauea Military Camp offers lodging, tours, dining, recreation and more to authorized guests. Conference and catering services are also offered. For more information, call 808-967-8333 or visit <a href="http://www.kmc-volcano.com">www.kmc-volcano.com</a>.
(Editor's Note: This article appeared in the Hawaii Army Weekly's Oct. 22 special insert on sustainability. Click <a href="http://www.hawaiiarmyweekly.com/special-inserts/">here</a> to view the entire 8-page feature.)
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