Hill Industry Day offers renewable energy options Published April 21, 2010 By Richard Essary 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Going green isn't just a fad; it's a way of life. It's also why representatives from the Air Force Real Property Agency and Hill Air Force Base hosted an Industry Day at the Davis Convention Center in Layton yesterday. The day-long event was attended by more than 100 developers, potential bidders and representatives from the offices of Utah's congressional delegation and featured Air Force, community and utility company officials showcasing two potential energy-saving projects for the base. The projects include: Retrofitting two existing natural gas boiler plants that currently provide steam energy to installation facilities into co-generation facilities. Cogeneration, which is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat, is one of the most common forms of energy recycling. Expanding a currently existing off-base waste-to-energy facility that creates electricity from steam. The waste-to-energy expansion site is projected for several acres of land on the southeast side of the installation. The area is close to existing steam delivery pipelines and transmission lines, as well as a waste-to-energy facility owned by Wasatch Integrated Management District. "Given the nature of Air Logistics Center depot work, the base has a substantial need for power," said Harry Briesmaster, 75th Civil Engineering Group director. Accordingly, the base is proactively looking for opportunities to reduce demand and increase its supply of renewable energy resources. "Being energy conscious and focusing on energy sustainability is the fundamental goal of the Air Force's energy strategic plan, and it's also the right thing to do," said Maj. Gen. Andrew E. Busch, Ogden Air Logistics Center commander. "We are committed to identifying workable solutions for sustainable and alternative energy projects, and developing natural gas cogeneration and a waste-to-energy facility on Hill Air Force Base under the service's Enhanced Use Lease authority is a win-win venture for us and our stakeholders." Both projects are slated to be part of the EUL program, which makes highly valued, non-excess property available to developers seeking to partner with the Air Force. "The Enhanced Use Lease concept is a way to partner with private industry to build facilities in a way that is very cost-effective for the taxpayer," said Lt. Col. Rudy Tessnow from the OO-ALC's Plans and Programs Office. "Essentially, EUL is the long-term sub-leasing of nonexcess Air Force property to a developer who then constructs a facility on the land." These partnerships with industry create income streams for the Air Force while contributing to local economic development and encouraging development of renewable energy. "To that end, the Enhanced Use Lease concept allows for the prospect of significantly reducing the base's energy cost and eventually eliminating the base's energy bill," Colonel Tessnow said. This, Air Force officials hope, will one day make Hill a net producer of energy using clean, efficient technologies and ultimately make it the model green installation in the process. For more information regarding the Air Force EUL program, visit: www.airforceeul.com or contact the AFRPA at (866) 725-7617.