In the U.S. military, energy-saving projects proliferate.

• Author: Smith, Jeff
• Position: Energy

* The U.S. military has been working on large and small green projects in recent years.

The Air Force is recognized as a leader in energy efficiency, with such landmark projects as the Nellis Solar Power Plant in Nevada, the second largest photovoltaic project in the world.

It also counts the largest LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) project in the nation with the 700-unit plus housing project at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss.

But, said Dennis Firman, director of the Air Force's Center for Environmental Excellence, "The easy wins we already accomplished."

Capt. John Hickey, the Coast Guard's commanding officer of the integrated support command in Honolulu, said a tidal surge in 2005 that came within a few feet of the buildings at Port Clarence, Ala., is a great example of how global warming is affecting the Coast Guard.

He noted that the Coast Guard has replaced diesel generators and 1,000-watt lamps with solar panels and LEDs (light emitting diodes) at lighthouses, installed photovoltaics at the Coast Guard training center at Petaluma, Calif., and is using stern flaps to reduce fuel use by some of the energy-hogging cutters.

At his command in Hawaii, energy consumption was cut by 14 percent, thanks to such changes as a high-efficiency chiller, more efficient lighting, and the installation of a solar hot-water system. A photovoltaic car in the maintenance shop may not do a lot to reduce energy consumption, but it "bought a lot of buy-in from the shop," Hickey said, adding the mechanics then asked...