EPA says AF top green power purchaser in America Published March 23, 2006 By Master Sgt. Michael A. Ward Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency TYNDALL AFB, Fla. (AFPN) -- The Environmental Protection Agency lists the Air Force No. 1 as the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the United States and the third largest green power purchaser in the world. Last year, the Air Force purchased 1,066,397 megawatt hours of renewable energy. That’s enough energy to power 70,000 average-sized homes for a year, according to Air Force officials. “Our energy guys made a commitment several years ago to bring alternative fuels into the fold,” said Col. Les Martin, Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency. “They hammered out the details, made it work, and the results are paying off for the Air Force, the taxpayers and the environment.” The Air Force consumes 78 trillion British Thermal Units of facility energy annually and renewable energy accounts for 11 percent of all Air Force facility energy purchases. Only two other agencies purchased more renewable facility energy than the Air Force last year, according to the EPA. Austrian Federal Railways purchased 1.536 Mega-Watt hours and Swedish Railways purchased 1.5 MWh. “We knew we were the number one purchaser in the federal government, but we were pleasantly surprised to find out we were the largest purchaser in the United States and within site of being the global leader,” said Jim Snook, Air Force renewable energy manager. The Air Force accounted for nearly 50 percent of all green power purchases made by the federal government last year. The service purchased more than twice as much as the next closest federal organization, the General Services Administration. Wind power is the major source of renewable energy in the Air Force’s facility energy portfolio; however, the service is aggressively pursuing solar, landfill gas, biomass and geothermal energy sources. In addition to buying renewable energy, the Air Force has also begun green power generation. The Air Force operates a 2.4-megawatt wind farm on Ascension Island, a 1.3-megawatt wind farm at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., and has a 1.4-megawatt landfill gas project at Hill AFB, Utah. Construction on major solar projects is expected to begin on two Air Force installations this year. AFCESA is a field operating agency of the Air Force Civil Engineer. The agency supports 82 major and 10 minor active-duty installations, plus the 83 Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard installations.