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Net Zero Ft. Carson: making a greener Army base
Citation:
Proctor, A., O. Kaplan, AND R. Araujo. Net Zero Ft. Carson: making a greener Army base. Presented at Gordon Research Seminar, Waterville Valley, NH, August 09 - 10, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation given at a Gordon Research Seminar held August 9-10, 2014 in Waterville Valley, NH. The Gordon Research Seminar is followed by a Gordon Research Conference from August 10-15 at the same location.
Description:
The US Army Net Zero program seeks to reduce the energy, water, and waste footprint of bases. Seventeen pilot bases aim to achieve 100% renewable energy, zero depletion of water resources, and/or zero waste to landfill by 2020. Some bases are pursuing Net Zero in a single sector, such as water, while two bases (including Ft Carson, Colorado) aim for net zero in all three sectors. These multi-sector goals present an opportunity for sustainability research from a systems perspective. Do additional sustainability gains appear when multiple sectors (energy, water, waste) are considered together? We are developing a model of energy, water, and waste systems on Ft Carson, using methods from system dynamics and urban metabolism. The analysis includes both tradeoffs (energy required to recycle water, and water required to generate energy) and mutual gains (waste to energy; water conservation measures that also conserve energy) in the system. For example, installing concentrating solar power could supply 9.5% of energy demand but increase water demand by 1.5%. On the other hand, water conservation measures could reduce water use by 15% and reduce energy use by 0.6%. A waste-to-energy plant could supply 20% of energy demand and reduce waste to landfill by <80%, but with large impact on water demand, depending on cooling system. Since military bases are like small cities, the research has applications to civilian communities.
