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Department of Energy Announces More Than $104M to Advance Net-Zero Projects at Federal Facilities

Energy

emissions

Secretary Granholm, Deputy Secretary Hicks, and Chair Mallory announced the projects on January 17 at The Pentagon. Projects were selected for facilities of the Social Security Administration; the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy, the Interior; Transportation, and Veterans Affairs; the U.S. General Services Administration; and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Selected projects include:

  • Installation of rooftop solar panels, a heat-recovery heat pump system, and solar thermal panels to reduce reliance on natural gas and fuel oil combustion systems at U.S. Department of Defense’s Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Installation of LED lights and occupancy sensors in low-occupancy areas and application of PV film on south-facing windows to conserve and generate energy at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.;
  • Replacement of evaporator diesel-powered boilers with electric boilers, with the potential to save $16 million in fuel costs per year, in the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant at DOE’s Hanford Site in Richland, Washington; and
  • Replacement of a 35-year-old HVAC system with high-efficiency equipment, making enhancements to the building envelope including window replacements, and installation of a new 75-kilowatt solar PV system and an advanced metering system, and implementation of water conservation measures at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maui Air Traffic Control Tower in Kahului, Hawaii.

The 31 selected projects are expected to double the amount of new carbon-free electricity capacity at Federal facilities over the amount brought online in 2022, resulting in 27 megawatts of additional clean-energy capacity. The projects will help Federal funding go further by leveraging more than $361 million in private investment.

In the first year of operation, the projects are expected to:

  • Save more than $29 million in energy and water costs;
  • Remove the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the air as taking 23,042 gasoline-powered vehicles off the roads; and
  • Reduce energy usage by the equivalent of 29,662 homes’ annual electricity use. 

The AFFECT program is managed by DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and provides funding to Federal agencies to help meet energy- and water-related goals by identifying affordable solutions, facilitating public-private partnerships, and leveraging best practices to promote energy leadership.

There was an unprecedented number of applications for this round of funding, with submissions from 16 different agencies. Each agency with selected projects will use the funding for equipment and technical assistance to plan, develop, and implement its project.

AFFECT Phase 2 to Open This Month
FEMP will begin accepting applications for the second round of AFFECT funding in January 2024. All energy and sustainability stakeholders across federal agencies, as well as private sector organizations and utilities, are encouraged to engage in the program to drive clean, healthy, and resilient Federal operations. 

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