The Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma is blazing the trail in more than one way. With the coming of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, MCAS Yuma will be the first operational squadron in the Marine Corps.

But the station is also leading the way is developing new, more energy efficient buildings, prompting other military installations around the nation to scrutinize Yuma.

“The spotlight is on Yuma. Everyone is looking at us," Capt. Staci Reidinger, MCAS director of public affairs, said. "Many of the new buildings being constructed to support the new squadron, such as the JSF flight simulator building and hangars, are using materials and systems that reduce energy consumption while incorporating renewable energy sources."

Other new buildings tied directly to the F-35 infrastructure are also being developed with “green” designs, including the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron building, a master's level training facility for pilots, and other supporting buildings.

The U.S. Green Building Council recently awarded the MAWTS building with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver Award, the second such award the base has received. Mark Dewald, the MCAS Yuma architect, had already accepted a LEED Silver Award for the newest Marine barracks.

The station is the first to receive LEED certification in all of Yuma County.

“MCAS is leading the entire area for LEED building. We're setting the pace,” DeWald said.

LEED is a rating systems that awards points for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods.

Mark Dewald, the MCAS Yuma architect, noted that all the newer structures being built right now are going to be LEED Silver or higher. As MCAS updates older buildings, it's paying close attention to sustainable design.

But each LEED level -- silver, gold and platinum -- comes with a price tag. Therefore the government is limiting projects to the silver level.

“We're doing everything we can, building the best building we can for the best price we can,” DeWald said.

He pointed out that saving energy is a major concern of the government and Marines Corps right now.

Although limited to the silver level, these new buildings are a marked improvement from the older structures, many built during the 1950s and 1960s.

“It's still an achievement, the mark of a quality building that is saving us money and energy,” Reidinger said.

Some buildings and renovations projects would have been eligible for LEED awards, but that goal was not set out by the government for those structures.

A “green” building is about more than saving energy. It's also about using recyclable materials, water conservation and improved air quality, DeWald said.

The sustainable features being used at the station include better insulation, double-pane windows, Energy Star rated equipment and photovoltaic solar panels, solar thermal technology to heat water and other supplemental technology.

Using solar technology makes sense. “There's no better spot because we have so much sunshine. We might as well use it,” DeWald said.

As part of renovation projects, barracks are being retrofitting with PV panels, which will direct the generated electricity back into the system when energy is at a high demand. When the demand isn't as high, the energy will go into the Arizona Public Service grid.

The sustainable projects are part of the station's efforts to comply with an executive order to reduce all military energy spending by 30 percent.

While installing “green” technology initially costs more, the built-in efficiencies will result in savings in the long run, DeWald said. For example, the design of the new flight simulator facility is expected to result in an annual savings of 36 percent.

“Over 20 years, that's a savings of 300, 400 percent,” DeWald noted.

MCAS Yuma renewable energy projects

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma currently has 119 kilowatts of renewable energy in place, generating an annual output of 190,946 kW hours in fiscal year 2011.

The station has six solar projects currently under construction that will add an additional 431 kW and an annual output of 564,611 kW hours a year

The Joint Strike Fighter construction at MCAS Yuma is anticipated to add 1,321 kW and 3.86 million kW hours annually.

Once current projects are completed, the station anticipates 1,871 kW and 4.6 million kW hours.

• Email
• Print
• More...