Sigonella Increases Energy Security and Reduces Greenhouse Gases

By Antonino Piluso, NAS Sigonella Installation Energy Manager

April 22nd is Earth Day, and this year the focus is on restoring our planet.

President Joe Biden signed a draft of new executive orders aimed at curbing climate change and Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella is already rising to the challenge.

The new administration is making climate change central to U.S. foreign policy and national security with the goal of a zero-carbon power sector by 2035 and a zero-carbon economy by 2050.

President Biden also recently announced a global Earth Day Climate Summit on April 22, the fifth anniversary of the U.S. signing the Paris Accords. The event will be aimed at persuading countries to strengthen their greenhouse gas reduction pledges.

Here onboard NAS Sigonella, several agencies are already moving quickly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Our installation went from one to six photovoltaic (PV) systems in three years. Two of which are on NAS I, over the Navy Exchange building and commissary parking lot, and four are building PV roof systems on NAS II. The total installed renewable energy went from one megawatts-peak power (MWp) to 3.1 MWp total on both sites.

This ambitious achievement was accomplished with proactive collaboration between Department of Defense agencies. In 2018, for the first time on our installation, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) funded a renewable energy project to provide energy savings. The outcome of this agreement between Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), who executed the project, and DLA, who provided funding, was the three PV roof systems on DLA buildings that ultimately provide energy savings to the whole base.

Another great example is the powerful partnership with the private sector working with Siemens. Using a dedicated United States government financing system, NAS Sigonella was able to award a contract to build 1.8 MWp PV system without paying any money up front. The new PV system will pay its construction cost by itself in the next 23 years. In the meantime, our installation will earn the energy savings benefit and Earth will reap the environmental benefit.

These are the results of a long-planned energy program created in accord with DoD Executive Orders and U.S. Navy polices to enhance the energy security of the base by reducing the overall energy demand. These projects and energy savings have also made significant strides in the greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan which NAS Sigonella is proud to be part of.

Together, we all have the potential to help the planet with forward thinking.