Photo By Kevin Larson | A gaggle of energy professionals gathered at Fort Stewart’s central energy plant...... read more read more
A gaggle of energy professionals gathered at Fort Stewart’s central energy plant Oct. 11 to plan the path forward to improve the installation’s energy efficiency.
The installation’s Directorate of Public Works, Canoochee Electrical Membership Cooperative and Southland Industries are working together under contract to improve the controls on the central energy plant’s chillers and install LED lights at 284 facilities.
The timing of the post-award pre-construction meeting between Stewart-Hunter and the contractors—the formal name for the gathering—to upgrade the CEP and install the LEDs just happened to fall in National Energy Awareness Month. That was a fortunate coincidence connecting energy efficiency topics, said Brett Cowan, installation energy manager.
“All the chillers right now have controllers but they’re going to come in and optimize those controls to make sure that we’re always supplying the correct temperature water out to the facilities and making sure that we are getting the most out of the controls on the chiller systems,” Cowan said.
Automation of the controls will reduce the installation’s electrical load and electrical bill, Cowan said. The projected annual energy savings is $827,729.
“(We) will save a ton of money when it comes to energy consumption,” he said.
Canoochee EMC is the utility privatization contractor on Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield. It owns and operate the electrical distribution system on post. It is the prime contractor and partnered with Southland to complete the project.
Jeffrey Barnard, project manager for Canoochee EMC on post said the collaboration between DPW and energy-service company Southland Industries is all about making Fort Stewart’s CEP run more efficiently and to reduce energy consumption across the installation.
The plan is to change the variable frequency drives to help the engines and pumps run more smoothly, Barnard said.
“The efficiency rating helps to reduce the wear and tear on what is currently here,” he said.
That improved efficiency benefits Soldiers and families in the production of steam that is used to heat and provide hot water buildings on post, Barnard said. Mission success is also improved by having steam on tap more efficiently.
“We’re very thankful that we’re a part of being able to provide these efficiencies to the base so that our Soldiers can have one mind and one goal, and that is their mission at hand,” he said. “Our mission is to take care of them and the essentials they need for everyday life.”
The energy efficiency project was greenlighted at the end of fiscal year 2023, Cowan said.
Oanh Tran, senior account executive Southland Industries supporting Canoochee EMC, said her team is excited to start the project. Southland Industries designs and constructs the energy management measures that will be used in the project.
“We’re looking to make the plant more energy efficient, looking to connect additional buildings to the plant so that it serves more buildings,” Tran said.
The central energy plant was at the root of flooding that occurred in barracks on Sept. 27 after the chillers failed. This project is not in response to that incident, Cowan said. Canoochee EMC and DPW are working internally to correct the issues that caused the issue.
“Essentially there was a power flicker at the CEP,” Cowan said.
The chillers were brought back online quickly, and the resulting flood damage in the barracks was rapidly addressed by DPW and the 385th Military Police Battalion.
| Date Taken: | 10.12.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.12.2023 10:52 |
| Story ID: | 455603 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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