Sunny Spain ideal for Photovoltaic Power at NAVSTA Rota

ITALY

11.05.2021

Story by Lisa Woodbury Rama 

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Europe Africa Central

NAPLES, ITALY (Nov. 5, 2021) To defend the nation, we must adapt to the realities of climate change. The Department of Defense is responding to climate change by adapting to enhance resilience and mitigating to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Europe, Africa, Central (EURAFCENT) Public Works Department (PWD), Naval Station Rota, Spain, has been working on ways to do both. Oct. 29th they took another successful step forward when Capt. David Baird, Installation Commanding Officer, flipped the switch on a major solar photovoltaic (PV) farm onboard the installation.
It was a great way to commemorate Energy Action Month.
"NAVSTA Rota has a great team of professionals constantly looking for ways to improve the installation and its services,” Baird said. “BZ to our PWD for starting down this path over a decade ago. Your commitment to our installation is just one of hundreds of examples of how we are a stronger installation with the help of our Spanish team members."

“This project delivers sun-inspired, carbon-free electrons that will contribute to our electrical grid and ultimately reduce the base electrical bill,” said Bryan Long, Utilities and Energy Management Branch Head, PWD, Rota. Long gives credit to Spanish local national employee David Barbosa, Installation Energy Manager, for seeing this major project through to the finish line.
Barbosa began researching alternative energy options for NAVSTA Rota in 2007. He first considered wind energy but wind turbines would have had potential impacts on operations so Barbosa switched focus to solar energy. At the time, solar energy was really taking off and Barbosa was able to get an engineering study started that focused on a large-scale solar PV farm for the base.
"I am very proud, professionally, to see this farm operating. Its’ been a long 13 years, said Barbosa.
“This project is the result of the work of many people at different positions and locations all the way from CNIC and EXWC to EURAFCENT and the installation. I just did my job and kept continuously pushing for the project along through the years. We (NAVSTA) are doing our part to help lower the installation energy costs, helping Spain reduce overall carbon emissions and adding to the installations energy resilience. It's a rewarding."
Solar PV is the world’s fastest growing electrical power sector and made up 11% of the U.S.’s total energy supply in 2020. The nearly seven MegaWatt (MWh) solar PV farm on NAVSTA Rota will produce about 12,000 MWh in a year. That is enough electrical energy to supply about 11,000 average U.S. residential homes with electrical energy for the entire year.
NAVSTA currently consumes about 60,000 MWh per year for U.S. Navy facilities ashore, so the added solar PV Farm will take care of nearly 20% of their average annual electrical energy consumption.
Navy shore Installations play a critical role in promoting readiness, generating the force structure necessary for mission success, and enabling combat operations.
Through improved energy efficiency and increased utilization of renewable energy at our Installations, the Navy gains both a Strategic and Force Protection Advantage. Diversifying our energy supply to incorporate alternative energy sources like renewables increases our Installations’ resilience, so that we can continue operations in the event of a commercial grid failure. Transforming energy usage and innovating bases systems improves our energy resiliency, reducing vulnerabilities to Sailors and providing a reliable source of energy and water to Navy facilities.
NAVFAC EURAFCENT executes approximately $1 billion per year in construction, professional engineering and facilities services for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and NATO commands in countries throughout Europe, Africa and Central Command where the Navy is the DoD lead agent for military construction.

• Date Taken: 11.05.2021
• Date Posted: 11.05.2021 08:43
• Story ID: 408755
• Location: IT