Department of Veterans' Affairs a Solar Leader by Example

After being introduced by a mutual friend in the energy business, I had the chance to speak with a representative of the VA last week and I came away with such a great impression of this most important of government organizations.

I needn't tell you about the core mission of the VA and the central role it plays in much of what we hold near and dear as Americans: taking care of our bravest, most self-sacrificing citizens who've put themselves at great risk keeping the rest of us safe in an increasingly dangerous world.

But what I didn't know, and couldn't imagine on my own, was the massive scope of VA operations and built infrastructure.  We're talking many thousands of buildings including more hospitals and other health facilities than any other organization in the country.  Or the world.  By a mile.

The VA is doing remarkable things with solar energy, and increasingly, designing contracts that save the department money over time.  You can read more about these efforts here HERE.

I challenge you to spend a few minutes with this interactive map and see if you can find a state or US territory that's not been touched by at least one VA clean-tech project.  I don't think you'll find one.

Way to go, VA.  Keep it up !!!

Photo: Reno VA Medical Center Outpatient Clinic

Negawatts and Heroes: San Diego Enlists Veterans for Energy Fight.

Energy and climate have made many strange bedfellows. Environmentalists and Marines make common cause because each has a mission vitally impacted by the use of energy. Everyone debates the merits of their favorite renewable or alternative energy production means, but all agree on the importance of the Fifth Fuel. Along with coal, petroleum, and nuclear, renewable/alternative energy make up the four fuels we use most commonly. The fifth fuel is the cleanest, cheapest and most secure of all. It is the electron you do not use through energy conservation.

On Tuesday, 6 December 2011, I will be speaking as part of an all-day series of events coordinated by the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego, CA, including an evening panel on the USS Midway. The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center “seeks to inspire lifelong learning by furthering the public understanding and enjoyment of science and technology”. The title of the program is “The Military Goes Green: Cutting Back on Fossil Fuel to Save Lives and Billions of Dollars”. It is co-sponsored by “EARTH: The Operators’ Manual”, an NSF-supported education and outreach project focusing on the twin topics of climate change and renewable energy. Check out the link to the website and if you are in SoCal, come by and participate.

In the process of preparing for this event, I was placed in contact with Laura Parsons of the California Center for Sustainable Energy, “a non-profit organization dedicated to creating change for a clean energy future,” a group I’ll be speaking that morning. One of their programs caught my attention and I wanted to share it with you. It is a pilot program funded by DOE “to test Community-Based Social Marketing strategies for encouraging people to do whole-house energy efficiency upgrades”. CCSE is preparing to enter the implementation phase of the program so they were looking for a target audience that would be aware of the implication of energy use, be disciplined enough to carry through with efficiency behavior and would be good representatives of the program. Guess who they picked? Veterans. The program is called the “San Diego Hero Alliance.”

According to Ms. Parsons, the program begins with a small commitment – asking veterans to pledge to do one energy efficient behavior – to bring them into this community of Energy Heroes. Once they self-identify as someone who cares about energy efficiency, the Alliance helps them to take progressive steps to learn more about their home’s energy performance, and ultimately, get a home energy upgrade. The Alliance will assist with tapping into an existing rebate program, to help overcome the cost barriers.

This is a practical and noble program. Using veterans as the stalking horses for focusing on energy efficiency brings continuity and credibility to the program. Helping veterans save on energy bills is principled and decent. One of the major impacts of efficiency programs is that they focus on air tightness standards for structures. With less air infiltration, cool stays cool and warm stays warm. Better still, pollen, moisture, dust and mold are reduced, creating a more health environment for children and other living things.

I wish them much success in this program. In areas where the cost for energy is high, such as Southern California, this makes sense for the utility and the consumer. This truly could be an Alliance of Heroes. Dan Nolan

Field Notes from ACORE's RETECH

This dispatch just in from Retired Army O-6 and Sabot 6 CEO Dan Nolan:

I just returned from the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) sponsored Renewable Energy Technology Conference and Exhibition (RETECH) in Las Vegas (SINCITY).  ACORE is an organization of member companies and institutions dedicated to moving renewable energy into the mainstream of America’s economy, ensuring the success of the renewable energy industry while helping to build a sustainable and independent energy future for the nation.  RETECH 2009 built on the outcomes of WIREC 2008, highlighting the top companies and thought leaders in the renewable energy industry. It was a superb conference with excellent speakers and a dazzling array of hardware and services. The atmosphere was downright bubbly with anticipation of the new Administration's focus on Energy. Over two hundred Government and Industry leaders shared their insights, strategies, and new products in the RETECH Business Conference and Trade Show, which spanned all renewable technologies and all aspects of the field.

In one session in particular the challenges for DOD were laid out by presenters such as GEN (R) Wes Clark and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Jim Woolsey.  As interesting as their presentation was, the final speaker on that panel really grabbed my attention. He was not on the agenda and had apparently been added to replace an absent speaker. He talked about harnessing one of the great untapped energy sources in this Nation for the express purpose of strengthening our security, our economy and the values of hard work, determination and honor. That energy is renewable, proven and inexhaustible.  It is the energy provided by our military veterans and it is being tapped by Veterans Green Jobs.  

After the presentation, I sat down with the Executive Director, Brett KenCairns to discuss the program. As their website describes it: 

Veterans Green Jobs provides exemplary green jobs education and career development opportunities for military veterans, empowering and supporting them to lead America’s transition to energy independence, ecological restoration, community renewal, and economic prosperity.

The intent is to provide training and education to veterans and bring them into the Green workforce. The concept is new and the first graduates of the Veterans Green Jobs Academy will graduate and deploy in June of this year.  I encourage all employers to visit the website and tap into this resource. If you want a workforce that emulates the values that have made our military one of the most esteemed institutions in the world, Veterans Green Jobs can help you achieve that goal. This program focuses on getting the best that America offers into the industry that has the potential to return us to the economic prominence we once enjoyed and can again.