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DLA Energy Launches Carbon Pollution-Free Electricity Webpage

Defense Logistics Agency Energy has launched a new, comprehensive webpage to outline its efforts to support carbon pollution-free electricity.

The sun beats down on a solar panel.
Solar Panels
Local elected officials, key base leaders, base affiliates and local media came together for the 28-megawatt solar photovoltaic array dedication at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., April 10, 2018. The ceremony included representatives from SunPower, the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Vandenberg Air Force Base and the secretary of Air Force environment, safety and infrastructure.
Photo By: Air Force Airman 1st Class Clayton Wear
VIRIN: 180410-F-XJ735-001M

The webpage is one way DLA Energy supports President Joe Biden's clean energy goals. In addition, DLA Energy is combining its acquisition expertise and strong industry partnerships to help the military services and whole-of-government partners achieve their climate change goals.

"The Department of Defense has an opportunity to lead the way in transitioning to carbon-free electricity," Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in a DOD news release. "It's not just critical to addressing the threat of climate change, but also to our national security as we work to secure U.S. competitiveness in rapidly-shifting global energy markets." 

In December, President Biden signed an executive order that sets the goal of the federal government sourcing 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030, at least half of which will be locally supplied clean energy to meet 24/7 demand. The executive order emphasizes the need for a coordinated, whole-of-government approach requiring significant cross-agency collaboration. 

Carbon pollution-free electricity, or CFE, means electrical energy produced from resources that generate no carbon emissions. That includes marine energy; solar; wind; hydrokinetic, including tidal, wave, current, and thermal; geothermal; hydroelectric; nuclear; renewably sourced hydrogen; and electrical energy generation from fossil resources to the extent there is active capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions meeting Environmental Protection Agency requirements. 

Since 1998, DLA Energy Installation Energy has been procuring electricity, renewable energy and energy conservation measures to help military installations and federal agencies meet facility energy requirements, reduce carbon footprint and save money.

A wind turbine extends high above a scrubby landscape.
Wind Turbine
The Defense Logistics Agency Energy helped Army Garrison Fort Hood, Texas, with a power purchase agreement to install wind turbines that began generating clean electricity on April 27, 2017. The agreement is an arrangement in which a third-party developer installs, owns and operates an energy system on a Defense Department installation’s property. The installation then purchases the system’s electric output for a predetermined period and allows the installation to receive stable and often low-cost electricity with no upfront cost. The wind turbines have a total capacity of about 50 megawatts, offsetting about 48% of load from fossil fuels in the first year.
Photo By: Army
VIRIN: 181031-D-D0441-4556M

In February, DLA Energy and General Services Administration published a request for information on carbon pollution-free electricity on sam.gov. The goal was to obtain market information and capabilities from vendors and other interested parties in supplying carbon pollution-free electricity to the U.S. government in locations with competitive retail electric markets.

"The Carbon Pollution-Free Electricity RFI is an example of how DLA Energy is collaborating with GSA to use our collective scale and procurement power to achieve 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030," DLA Energy Installation Director Pam Griffith said. "One purpose of the RFI is to better understand the capabilities, methods and pricing aspects of supplying the scale of clean energy needed. This information will help shape future procurement strategies for use in transitioning our retail supply contracts." 

More information about DLA Energy's initiatives are available on its Carbon Pollution-Free Electricity webpage, including fact sheets, a trifold brochure, pictures and examples of clean energy projects at military installations around the world.

Row after row of solar panels sit next to a grove of trees.
Solar Panels
On Dec. 20, 2018, the Defense Logistics Agency Energy awarded Misawa Air Base, Japan, with an energy savings performance contract that is expected to annually save 69,777,004 kilowatt hours in electricity and an estimated $18.6 million. The project was showcased on June 8, 2022, to include the installations of two cogeneration plants with generation capacity of 6.2 megawatts in addition to a 6.0-megawatt solar photovoltaic farm. The project is expected to reduce Misawa’s energy consumption by 20% across 679 buildings and as much as 60% of its annual electrical load during normal operations.
Photo By: Misawa Air Base
VIRIN: 210701-D-D0441-500M

Solicitations for carbon pollution-free electricity including a request for proposal for the Micro-Reactor Pilot Program at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, can be found on the website by searching contract opportunities.

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