Energy upgrades advance at world’s largest naval station
Projects to reduce energy, improve infrastructure and address comfort concerns are under way at Naval Station Norfolk, a U.S. Navy base that sprawls across 4,300 acres in Norfolk, Va. The Navy base is said to be the world’s largest naval station, based on its military population and large number of ships and aircraft that are homeported at the facility when not at sea. On-site facilities include 14 piers and 11 aircraft hangars.
To help meet current energy legislation and the Navy’s vision for future military-base improvements, the energy-conservation contract was awarded to Energy Systems Group (ESG), headquartered in Newburgh, Ind. ESG will team up with Virginia Natural Gas Inc. to upgrade the military base’s lighting, water and mechanical systems, as well as establish a framework for decentralizing the facility’s central steam system.
The contract includes several key energy-saving projects, including lighting retrofits, infrared heating, water conservation and steam to hot-water conversion. The total duration of the design and installation period will be 15 months.
In early 2006, ESG began evaluating systems and surveying more than 40 buildings that comprise Naval Station Norfolk to identify energy conservation opportunities. Based on the evaluation, the initial upgrades will include lighting retrofits for 28 buildings, water-conservation measures for nine buildings, steam to natural-gas conversion for two buildings and retro-commissioning for one building. In addition, two hangars will be removed from the steam system and will become self-sufficient in the heating and cooling process.
“There is a great opportunity to take an energy infrastructure like the steam system that was built in the 1940s and bring it in-line with the Base’s vision for 2020,” commented John Songer, ESG senior project engineer.
ESG, a subsidiary of Vectren Corp., offers a range of energy solutions to improve the efficiency, operation and finances of facility owners.
For more information about ESG’s capabilities, visit http://www.energysystemsgroup.com/.