ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Even though you don’t see at APG the huge photovoltaic solar panels that are widespread in Florida, California and the Southwest, our installation is making strides towards harnessing sunlight to power our lives.
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2010 and other Department of Defense energy mandates require military installations to improve energy efficiency and reduce reliance on fossil fuels by using renewable resources like the sun.
Several weeks ago, APG relit the Pooles Island Lighthouse by installing an LED light source and acrylic Fresnel lens, powered by a pedestal-mounted solar and battery system. The new optic
has more than a six nautical mile visual range, but needs just a 12-volt battery to operate.
Storage of sun power enables the light to flash for up to 46 days without sunshine, an important feature during Maryland’s
long, gray winters.
The historic relighting utilizes the sun for its power source, not only because of the lack of electricity on the island, but to symbolically show the Army’s interest in moving forward with renewable resources and alternative energy.
The lighthouse is now classified as a private aid to navigation with the U.S. Coast Guard and has been chosen as our post symbol by Research, Development, and Engineering Command and Installation Commander Maj. Gen. Nick Justice to “light a path to the future”.
When Harford Technical High School students designed the Pooles Island Lighthouse replica and time capsule to celebrate this year’s Earth/Arbor Day, many of the construction materials used
were salvaged and recycled.
“The lighting mechanism is operated by a small solar battery pack, to simulate how the “real” lighthouse is lit, “according to Michael Svezzese, the students’ trades and industry instructor. He further commented that “the focus of this project was to get the students to think in terms of sustainability and reducing carbon footprint in a real-world sense, by using a model as an example”.
The Pooles Island Lighthouse is off limits to the public, but you can stop by the garrison headquarters in Bldg. 305 to see the replica on display in the main lobby.
Current solar energy initiatives on APG include the installation of a passive solar insolation capture system that is near completion on the roof of Bldg. 525. Unlike photovoltaic cells that generate electricity through direct conversion of solar radiation, the dark colored roofing system absorbs the radiant energy of the sun and captures heat in the three-inch interstitial space between the roof panels and the insulation.
The hot air is then piped throughout the 150,000-square-foot building via ductwork, reducing the amount of gas needed to heat the building in the winter by 15 to 20 percent. Bruce Erdner, DPW roofing systems engineer, said the solar roof system uses off-of-the-shelf materials and components and the APG project is the largest installation of its kind on the east coast.”
Erdner added that the new roofing system is projected to pay for itself in less than eight years, illustrating that going solar isn’t just good for the environment; it also has proven cost savings
in the long term.
Other projects involve incorporating solar tubes into several of the post’s buildings for additional natural light. These strategically placed, high-tech skylights will save on energy costs by delivering daylight to the building interior while reducing the need for electric light during the workday.
Installation Energy Program Manager Anh Dang said he is interested in further pursuing solar and that “at some point, solar technology development will increase to allow us to capture and store sun energy to power our buildings, even at night.”
Presently, the amount of money and space needed to implement full-scale sun power makes it a challenge at APG, partly because of limited sunlight hours especially during winter, and the amount of vegetation present that impedes the placement of solar panels. However, Dang believes that eventually “the cost of solar will come down just like it did with LED lighting, which is now commonplace.”
For more information on the Pooles Island Lighthouse solar powered lighting unit, solar tubes and solar air-heating, click on the Environment Tab of the APG Live Blog at http://apg.armylive.
dodlive.mil/.
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