(Source: PRNewswire)
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced it has installed two solar arrays at Fort Dix, N.J., a training and mobilization center for the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard. The solar installations are part of a $17.6- million program that will decrease energy consumption at the post by almost 10 percent and water use by more than 5 percent. The program, which includes a variety of energy-efficient facility and infrastructure upgrades, will help Fort Dix meet federal efficiency and renewable energy mandates, among other benefits.
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"I am proud to have played a role in making this solar project possible at Fort Dix," said Congressman John Adler, who represents Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst. "The program will help Fort Dix cut operating costs, increase energy efficiency and reduce its environmental impact. I am pleased the program is being led by Honeywell, a great New Jersey technology and manufacturing company. I will continue to fight to bring funding and missions to the Joint Base to enhance its success."
One of the largest solar projects for the Army, the 3,200 photovoltaic panels that make up the arrays will generate approximately 815,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually -- enough to power more than 75 homes per year. The arrays are mounted on the roofs of the Army Reserve 99th Regional Support Command Headquarters and the post's Strategic Deployment Site Building, a temperature-controlled warehouse for equipment storage.
The panels will produce enough energy to meet nearly all the electricity needs of both facilities, with excess power distributed back onto the grid. They will also help the post meet renewable energy goals from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, mandating at least 7.5 percent of annual energy consumption at federal facilities comes from a renewable resource by end of 2013.
"In addition to reducing dependence on fossil fuels, the local power generation will provide enhanced operational capacity and security, since we will have a power source that is not tied to external supply," said Dave Peckham, director of Public Works at Fort Dix.
Fort Dix will finance the entire program through energy and operational savings guaranteed by Honeywell under a performance contract with the Army, approximately $1.2 million per year for the next 20 years. This ensures the upgrades will not effect capital budgets or require additional taxpayer dollars. In addition, the program is expected to produce more than $20 million in excess savings for the post.
The work will also have a significant environmental impact, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 33 million pounds per year.
