Defense Department Moves Ahead with Renewables, Energy Efficient Lighting

Robins Air Force Base in Georgia will purchase about 5 percent of its annual electricity consumption in the form for renewable energy supplied by the Georgia Power, according to a press release.

The two-year deal will cover about 16 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year.

Through the deal, Robins Air Force Base, a logistics center that is also the largest industrial complex in Georgia, will purchase about 40 percent of the total renewable energy sold through the Georgia Power Green Energy program, which includes energy generated from solar, landfill methane and biomass production.

In addition to the purchase of off-site renewable energy, Robins Air Force Base on Dec. 18 unveiled a 25-kilowatt solar panel at the base, according to a press release (see image).

The $425,000 solar panel is a new model that incorporates sensor technology that allows it to automatically track the sun with concentrated photovoltaic array technology that amplifies the sun’s power 500 to 1,000 times.

Meanwhile, the Department of Defense has taken possession of 10 portable shelter lighting systems, designed to replace existing fluorescent lighting used free-standing field shelters, according to a press release.

The portable shelter lighting system from Cyberlux uses white and red LED lighting that can be powered either by AC or DC, including DC solar.