The DOE has announced $2.85 million in funding for four new projects that will develop renewable energy technologies at federal facilities. The Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) initiative, which will be administered by the DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), will help the government make progress toward its goal of sourcing 30% of its energy from renewables by 2025. The program is focused on increasing electricity generated by solar photovoltaic and biomass.
Included in the AFFECT program is a State Department initiative to create an 11.9 MW solar photovoltaic network for ten overseas diplomatic posts, which would double the State Department’s renewable energy usage. Funding will also be used to install roof, ground, and parking lot-mounted solar panels at eleven sites owned by the Department of Agriculture and a 0.79 MW solar installation at a Department of Justice facility in El Paso, TX. A 10 MW biomass steam turbine generator for a U.S. Marine Corps facility in Albany, GA will also be funded by the initiative, which is expected to cut consumption by 4,600 MWh annually as well as achieving net-zero energy status for the site.
