Photo By Jonelle Kimbrough | Hurricane Maria in September 2017 damaged several solar sites at Fort Buchanan, Puerto...... read more read more
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Life on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico changed forever on September 20, 2017. With a barrage of devastating wind and water, Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico’s natural resources and crippled the island’s energy and water systems. One year later, Puerto Rico is still reeling from the unprecedented tragedy. But, much of the United States territory and its three million residents are finally on the road to recovery.
Fort Buchanan, a United States Army Reserve-funded Installation in San Juan, has weathered the storm and has emerged – resolute and steadfast – with ambitious plans to improve its energy and water resilience and to secure its critical assets for the future.
Or, as Anibal Negron would say, Fort Buchanan is still and will always be “Army Strong!”
Negron is Fort Buchanan’s Energy Manager and Chief of the Environmental Division at the Installation’s Directorate of Public Works.
According to Negron, Hurricane Maria further revealed Puerto Rico’s unique challenges as the Army Reserve strives for energy and water security. “Since we are on an island away from the continental United States, we are completely isolated,” Negron explained. “A resilient strategy for all required resources will be the only way to secure our mission during any emergency operation.”
Energy and water resilience have become the focal points of the Army Reserve’s sustainability efforts, and with reason.
Energy and water are vital resources for every mission, so any disruption to energy or water supplies can hinder or even halt the Army Reserve’s battle rhythm. To ensure readiness, Army Directive 2017 – 07 (Installation Energy and Water Security Policy) mandates that “the Army will prioritize energy and water security requirements to ensure available, reliable and quality power and water to continuously sustain critical missions” and “will reduce risk to critical missions by being capable of providing necessary energy and water for a minimum of 14 days.”
Army Reserve facilities also serve as key staging areas for first responders and assistance agencies during emergency events.
In Hurricane Maria’s aftermath, the need for energy and water resilience at Fort Buchanan – as well as every Army Reserve Installation, Readiness Division and Mission Support Command –became very apparent.
“From the Installation’s stand point, [Hurricane Maria] was a significant ‘lesson learned,’ since all critical services were directly affected – not only on post, but throughout the entire island,” said Negron.
As an island, Puerto Rico is inherently vulnerable to disruptions in supply chains. After Hurricane Maria, the region lacked even basic services and resources such as food, clean water and gasoline. “Without these resources, you will jeopardize your mission,” Negron commented.
Negron said that the storm also unleashed “catastrophic damage” on Puerto Rico’s power grids. While the northern region of the island consumes 70 percent of Puerto Rico’s energy, the southern region of the island produces 70 percent of its energy. After Hurricane Maria, San Juan and other metropolitan areas in the north faced seemingly indefinite power losses. Fort Buchanan suffered a power failure for two months and a water failure for one month. Only mission essential buildings received emergency power and water.
A leader in renewable energy, Fort Buchanan can produce 5.8 megawatts of solar power and 550 kilowatts of wind power, or about 24 percent of the Installation’s electricity demand. But, Hurricane Maria ravaged the Installation’s renewable energy sites. At the former Directorate of Public Works, 518 solar modules must be replaced. The roof-mounted solar array at the main Army and Air Force Exchange Service store sustained damage to 95 modules, and the inverters sustained water damage. At two other sites, trees fell on the solar panels and destroyed 312 modules. Currently, the two 275 kilowatt wind turbines on post are operating at only 40 percent of their usual capacity.
In addition, Fort Buchanan was a hub for several Department of Defense and federal agencies including the 1st Mission Support Command, Puerto Rico National Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Maria. So, operations at the Installation had to continue In spite of the storm.
Now, Fort Buchanan is charged with two challenging tasks: repairing the damage in the wake of the storm and ensuring that their energy and water resources are protected from the impacts of future natural disasters.
The Installation is currently working with the United States Army Corps of Engineers Huntsville District to leverage funds from an Energy Savings Performance Contract to complete the repairs on the damaged solar sites. They hope to initiate the repairs in October 2018.
Completed projects – such as emergency power generators for mission essential buildings, ground water wells and water cisterns – have assisted Fort Buchanan in its recovery, but Negron said that Fort Buchanan needs a more holistic approach to disaster response. To protect critical assets, the Installation eventually wants to implement a fully sustainable utility system.
“A resilient electrical distribution system will ensure sustained services – for at least 14 days – for mission essential buildings,” Negron remarked. As repairs are completed, Fort Buchanan will improve existing renewable energy systems by elevating solar panels to avoid flood damage, installing canopies and replacing their inverters with advanced “smart” inverters. Inverters are the “brains” of solar arrays, and “smart” inverters can ensure that arrays operate efficiently as Fort Buchanan installs additional renewable technologies. Other plans include battery storage systems and a microgrid. A microgrid is a local energy system with distributed energy sources and loads capable of operating in concert with or independently of the primary grid.
Fort Buchanan is also investing in technologies to harvest, reclaim and reuse water. Recently, the post installed the Army Reserve’s first solar powered rainwater harvesting system for potable applications at the Welcome Center.
No other Atlantic hurricane will ever bear the name “Maria,” but the storm’s effects will indeed linger in the Caribbean for generations to come as the islands recuperate from the most powerful natural disaster in their recent history. Fort Buchanan – with its ambitious plan to protect and secure its energy and water resources – will serve as a model for the Army Reserve, as it moves toward a truly resilient mission. And, the Installation will continue to be a safe haven for the people of Puerto Rico, as they move toward a more promising future.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2018 11:38 |
| Story ID: | 296881 |
| Location: | SAN JUAN, PR |
| Web Views: | 357 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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