Federal Energy Program Management Awards

DOI's 2003 Federal Energy and Water Management Award Winners

U.S. National Park Service
Mojave National Preserve
Barstow, California
760-255-8850

The harsh rugged beauty of California 's Mojave National Preserve is the setting for this renewable energy project for the Preserve's Hole-In-The-Wall Wildland Fire Center . Up to 16 firefighters and crew are stationed at the Center's remote (4,500 foot elevation) location to respond to emergencies in the Preserve's vast 1.5 million acres of land. Drawing upon the area's abundant sunlight and a desire to protect the natural quiet of the desert, the National Park Service mobilized to replace the Center's outdated modular facility that relied on diesel power. The newly-constructed fire center and dormitory is a highly functional, energy-efficient, and cost effective structure that harmoniously blends into the desert landscape. The facility features an 11 kilowatt hybrid system with 85 thin flexible photovoltaic panels placed on the Center's roof, eliminating the expense of a solar panel array frame. Insulation under the roof serves as an energy-efficient environment for the thermostatically controlled evaporative coolers located in the attic. Throughout the buildings, energy-efficient windows reduce the facility's energy use. In interior spaces without windows, solar light tubes practically eliminate the need for electrical lighting during the day. A solar-powered radiant floor heating system prevents the water lines in the fire engine bays from freezing. During FY 2002, this impressive facility achieved an energy savings of 624 million Btu and a cost savings of more than $16,000.

Renewable Energy Awards to Small Groups

Greg Austin
Melissa Ennis
Vivian Rice-Smuin
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Ventura, California
805-644-5185

A public-private partnership is working quietly and diligently to reintroduce the majestic California condor back to the wild. Playing a principle role in pulling the condor back from extinction are the dedicated researchers of the California condor research station at Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, who are monitoring and caring for the condors. Working and living throughout the year at the refuge's remote research station, which was never connected to utility power lines, the researchers' primary source of power was an old, unreliable gasoline-powered generator. During FY 2002, a team from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Pacific Region successfully secured Service funds to install a 1.76-kilowatt solar system with 110-watt photovoltaic (PV) modules. The new PV array provides 100 percent of research station's electricity and water pumping needs, saving 78 million Btu annually and more than $1,000. Energy-efficient lights are adding to the energy savings and maximizing the effectiveness of the solar system. For this motivated team, eliminating the dependence on gasoline for electrical power and reducing the transfer of hazardous fuel just made sense for the fragile habitat of the condor.

Charles Caldwell
Mary Ann Crafton-Williams
Ken Edwards
Mark Orton
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Imperial National Wildlife Refuge
Yuma, Arizona
520-783-3371

The team from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southwestern Region knew that solar collectors were the optimal choice to power the buildings serving the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, a Federally designated wilderness area receiving more than 350 days of sunshine annually. During FY 2002, the team, undeterred by budgetary and management hurdles, mobilized to install photovoltaic (PV) solar collectors on the Refuge's visitor center and office with funding received from the Service. The system provides approximately 47 percent of the facility's annual energy requirements at a yearly savings of 69 million Btu and $1,625. Added to the project's success is a $20,000 rebate from Arizona Public Utilities Commission. To meet the team's goal to eventually provide 100 percent solar power for the facility, the system was designed with the capability to increase the capacity of the PV collectors for future expansion. Quiet, non-polluting renewable energy is now protecting the delicate ecological balance of this remote green oasis, surrounded by desert mountains and conveying the importance of sustainable energy practices to refuge's visitors.

Gene Cheney
Zeb Darrah
Jeff Harmon
Jim Ziolkowski
U.S. National Park Service
Mount Rainer National Park
Ashford, Washington
360-569-2211

Gone are the noise and emissions from diesel-powered generators, as well as wasted diesel fuel, at the White River Entrance of Mount Rainier National Park. The entrance is a gateway to the east side of the Park with visitor functions and residence area for 14 Park employees. Since 1931, the constant drone of diesel generators, and more recently liquid propane fired units, could be heard 24 hours a day. The Park's new 20-kilowatt solar hybrid system brings reliable electrical power to this remote area of Mount Rainier without a connection to an electric utility. The dedicated project team spearheaded nearly all phases of the project, from decreasing the site's electrical load; partnering with DOE's Bonneville Power Administration for design and installation of the solar array, battery bank, and inverter; performing preliminary system installation; working alongside the contracting team during the installation of the array; to performing maintenance and oversight of the system. The effectiveness of the system is a tribute to the Mount Rainier team, whose uncompromising attention to detail is saving the White River installation more than $9,000 in fuel costs and approximately 776 million Btu annually.

Energy Saver Showcase Facility Award

Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia
Poster

The construction of the Center will eliminate nearly $800,000 in backlog maintenance needs by replacing five inadequate buildings with the new facility. Much of the currently occupied land will revert to wildlife uses, and xeriscaping and onsite wastewater recycling will lead to reduced site disturbance. The project utilized daylighting and energy-efficient lighting as well as geothermal heat pumps and rapidly renewable building materials.

Capitalizing on the need to replace an old garage, designers created a structure to optimize the solar potential for a photovoltaic (PV) array in the rainy Pacific Northwest . But this system is highly effective, eliminating noise and pollution previously emitted by generators, as well providing a 95% energy savings over the previous generation system.

DOI's 2002 Federal Energy and Water Management Award Winners

With utility bills exceeding $450,000 annually, Bill Coursey recognized that Sherman Indian High School , which was constructed in 1900 and serves Native American children, needed repairs and improvements. Through DOE's Super ESPC, Mr. Coursey accomplished energy conservation improvements that included lighting, heating, ventilation, and a renewable energy photovoltaic system. In addition to the energy conservation measures achieved through the Super ESPC project, Mr. Coursey has been responsible for other energy saving successes achieved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Mr. Coursey's efforts have helped the Bureau of Indian Affairs achieve savings during FY 2001 of more than 8 billion Btu and more than $179,000.

Renewable Energy Awards to Small Groups

Martin Kaehny
Susan Talbot
Meg Walkup
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of the Interior
Rock Hall, Maryland
410-639-7056

The staff from Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Rock Hall , Maryland , are recognized for providing renewable energy educational opportunities and demonstration projects to visitors and the surrounding community. Among several projects, a 10-kilowatt wind turbine was installed in March 2002 at the Refuge's office near the shore of the Chesapeake Bay . Although the wind turbine will be grid-connected, it is expected to provide close to 100 percent of the building's power needs during high-wind months. An estimated $1,700 in savings from electricity offsets will be achieved, based on the 2001 average price of $0.13 per kilowatt-hour. Another project involved the installation of two solar energy photovoltaic demonstration panels. A 120-watt solar panel was installed, powering a recirculating pump for a Refuge pond. Another 80-watt panel stores solar energy in a battery that powers a 32-watt parabolic floodlight, illuminating the American flag at night. The Refuge team also has purchased an alternative-fuel van that can run on 85 percent ethanol. Additionally, the Refuge has sponsored a public workshop on renewable energy in Chestertown , Maryland , that received enthusiastic response from the local community and media.

Energy Efficiency/Energy Management Awards to Organizations

Presidio Trust Summer Initiative
Presidio Trust
San Francisco, California
415-561-4284

As a resource protection organization, the Presidio Trust has always sought ways to minimize environmental impact and conserve water and energy, so it seemed natural for the organization to seek a creative financing solution that would help the Presidio save energy. In July 2000, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) offered financing through a "Summer Initiative," which sought to achieve significant demand and energy reductions by summer 2001. Identifying opportunities to save hundreds of thousands of kilowatt hours each year, the Presidio Trust formulated a plan for retrofitting both residential and non-residential buildings with energy-efficient lighting, controls, and energy management systems under the Summer Initiative. An extensive outreach campaign was also part of the Initiative. The Presidio faced added challenges from its designation as a National Historic Landmark, which requires the Presidio to be managed in compliance with historic guidelines, which at times are at odds with conservation goals. Despite the Presidio's hurdles, the lighting retrofits and outreach efforts were a success and will save the organization more than 1 million kilowatt-hours and $165,000 annually.

DOI's 2001 Federal Energy and Water Management Award Winners

Rhonda Brooks
Kent Bullard
Keith Duran
Channel Islands National Park
Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Ventura, California
805-685-5745

The Channel Islands National Park research vessel, Pacific Ranger, underwent a greening project that reduces its environmental impact while operating in sensitive marine areas. For the past 20 years, the vessel has regularly served as the Park research platform and has consumed more than 185,000 gallons of petroleum diesel fuel. Changes made to eliminate further petroleum diesel fuel consumption include utilizing re-refined motor oils and a "Purafiner" filter system, using battery storage and AC inverters instead of generators, installing a "Bulbous Bow" that reduces friction in the water, and operating the vessel on 100 percent biodiesel fuel. The overall impacts of this conservation project reduced the annual fuel consumption of the Pacific Ranger by 24 percent. Annually, this project has eliminated the use of more than 10,000 gallons of petroleum diesel fuel. The project reduced demand on petroleum resources, decreased exhaust emissions, demonstrated alternative fuels in marine service, and made the Pacific Ranger petroleum free.

Energy Efficiency/Energy Management Awards to Small Groups

James Crockett
Ron Judkoff
Larry N. Kilborn
Patrick Shea
Paul Torcellini, PE, Ph.D.
Department of the Interior's National Park Service with
Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Golden, Colorado
Website
303-384-7520

The Zion National Park Visitor Center design process was a collaborative effort between the National Park Service's Denver Service Center and the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Team members from NREL's Buildings and Thermal Systems Center provided technical support to optimize the energy performance of the building. The Denver Service Center developed the architectural design with input from NREL about the energy implications of design decisions. This “whole-building systems integration” process started in pre-design and continued through to commissioning occupancy. The process resulted in a building that uses 66 percent less energy than code, and is virtually immune to the frequent power outages in the region. The project represents a synthesis of passive heating, cooling and daylighting, energy efficiency, and photovoltaic technology. Shading, natural ventilation, passive evaporative cool-towers, clerestories, trombe walls, direct solar gain, thermal mass, high efficiency lights, and 7 kilowatts of photovoltaics all work together to nearly eliminate loads. The project resulted in cost savings of more than $10,000 and 309 million Btu in site energy and 1 billion Btu in source energy.

The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of the Interior
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Website
610-521-0662

The new Cusano Environmental Education Center at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Tinicum , Pennsylvania , is a model for the conservation and efficient use of energy and water. The Center incorporates geothermal heating and cooling, energy-efficient lighting, a well-insulated building envelope, and natural daylighting to reduce building energy consumption. Other sustainable design strategies include use of green building materials with significant recycled content. The geothermal heating and cooling system alone is estimated to save approximately 25 percent of the energy compared to a conventional system. In addition, the Center has implemented an innovative on-site “marsh machine,” an organic wastewater treatment plant. Estimated savings for the project include $3,850 for the geothermal heat pump alone and more than 119 million Btu for FY 2000."