WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is celebrating Earth Week with a special website [1]highlighting “green” stories from around the enterprise. Each day this week, the NNSA Green Week website [1]has been focusing on a different set of stories that highlight the connection between NNSA’s commitment to energy efficiency and its efforts to invest in the future, implement President Obama’s nuclear security agenda, and improve the way the enterprise does business.
Today’s Green Week 2011 feature highlights some of the ways NNSA’s laboratories and sites are promoting energy efficiency through vehicles. From solar voltaic vehicles to hydrogen taxis to reducing the number of fleet vehicles, the enterprise is committed in supporting the nation’s broader energy security mission.
“NNSA is fortunate to have dedicated men and women throughout the enterprise who are consistently looking for ways to promote energy efficiency and saving tax payers’ money,” said Don Cook, NNSA’s Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs. “I applaud the labs and sites for their commitment in making the necessary investments to advance our national sustainability and energy goals while we meet our mission needs.”
At Sandia National Laboratories, a photovoltaic (PV) vehicle [2] created was designed to create a more energy-efficient campus while reducing grid-tied energy use. The intention was also to increase renewable-energy use, and implement solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while determining whether a PV-driven concept could be developed that did not have a lifelong payback period. Sandia’s Facilities Energy Management team and Fleet Services organization designed the vehicle in 2009. The program was completed within two months of funding and has been in operation for more than a year.
The Sandia PV vehicle received a 2010 GreenGov Presidential Award [3]. The awards recognize extraordinary achievement in the pursuit of President Obama's Executive Order 13514 on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance.
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), new hydrogen taxis [4] have been added to LLNL’s fleet services. One 12- passenger bus and one nine-passenger bus with wheelchair capability now complement LLNL’s existing diesel-fueled taxis. They are part of LLNL's strategy for an energy sustainable future and a cleaner environment. With very few cost and technical issues limiting commercialization and deployment, hydrogen-powered vehicles can help create the demand needed to support the development of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure. The taxis will be refueled on site using technology supplied by Air Products. The project is funded by the DOE Office of and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fuel Cell Technologies Program. The project is a collaboration between LLNL and Sandia.
In 2009, Los Alamos National Laboratory received an NNSA Pollution Prevention (P2) award, in the category of Alternative Fuel and Fuel Conservation in Transportation. The objective of the Fleet Management Process Improvement Project was to reduce fleet costs by $50,000 a month or $600,000 per year. The Process Improvement Project team investigated the underlying causes of increased fleet costs and created a strategy for downsizing and “rightsizing” the lab fleet. Currently, LANL has 38 hybrid-electric vehicles in our fleet - five K1500 Chevrolet pickups; the rest Ford Escape and Fusion passenger vehicles, 2008 to 2011 model years. Of the remaining vehicles in our fleet of about 1,570, 560 are are E85 alternative fuel vehicles. The total (598) represents about 40 percent of the entire fleet.
At NNSA’s Pantex Plant, hybrid vehicles are utilized to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gases. In addition to its more than 30 hybrids, Pantex offers E85 ethanol, which is used in government vehicles.
To learn more about NNSA’s commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency, visit the NNSA Green Week website at: http://nnsa.energy.gov/greenweek2011 [1].
Follow NNSA News on Facebook [5], Twitter [6], YouTube [7], and Flickr [8].
Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science in the nation’s national security enterprise. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; reduces the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.
