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Validation team meeting climate change criteria changes

By William FarrowApril 28, 2022

Validation team meeting climate change criteria changes
U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville employees receive a site briefing by a SunPower Corporation contractor before visiting a solar array construction site on Redstone Arsenal in 2017. Projects like the Arsenal’s The 10 MW solar array with a 1-MW storage system undergo reviews by the Center’s Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program validation team before they are submitted to compete for Department of Defense funding. (Photo Credit: Mark Thompson) VIEW ORIGINAL

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – After receiving new guidance from the Office of the Secretary of Defense in April, the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center’s Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program validation team are re-opening Fiscal 2024 projects to ensure compliance with the OSD’s Modernization and Climate Initiative.

The ERCIP team is opening any Fiscal 2024 projects that don’t have carbon-free solutions and updating the projects to fulfill the criteria, said Yelena Fykes, ERCIP project manager.

Huntsville Center’s ERCIP Validation Program is the Army’s ERCIP requirement development expert providing planning and technical support to the Army by validating all ERCIP projects before they are submitted to OSD to compete for funding.

“We are focusing on implementing distributed, low-carbon energy alternatives (solar and wind), battery storage, and microgrids to remediate mission risks since the DoD is pursuing ways to rapidly lower global carbon emissions, while also enhancing resilience to climate change,” Fykes said.

In addition to the climate change criteria, OSD provided a list of other prioritization criteria for ERCIP Projects in its Fiscal 2024 Guidance.

The importance of contributing to energy resilience, energy security, and mission readiness and assurance at an installation will be the priority in evaluating and prioritizing projects, Fykes said. “All of the criteria will be utilized to evaluate projects submitted for ERCIP funding.”

Fykes said the ERCIP team had productive discussions with Army Office of Energy Initiative professionals on the Fiscal 25 cycle last October and the deadlines were set to complete and submit DD1391 forms in July, and all projects will be submitted to OSD in August.

Due to the updates, Fykes said there will be a slight delay in the verification process.

“Consequently, ERCIP will be picking up Fiscal 25 projects in the fall instead of the summer.”

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