Sierra's FastOx Pathfinder system to be installed at U.S. Army’s Fort Hunter Liggett in California.
Sierra Energy, Davis, Calif., has announced it has received a $3 million investment from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to install a modular, community-scale waste gasification system at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County, Calif.
Sierra Energy’s FastOx Pathfinder system was selected by the DoD’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) to help increase DoD’s energy security, reduce waste and energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help meet the U.S. Army’s net-zero initiatives.
“This project is part of Fort Hunter Liggett’s ongoing efforts to meet net zero standards for both waste and energy,” says Col. Donna Williams, Fort Hunter Liggett garrison commander. “Disposing of the installation’s waste and using it to generate clean energy meets both those goals.”
The DoD, the nation’s largest consumer of energy, has set strategic and achievable energy initiatives to reduce waste and increase renewable energy. The Army has selected the first six pilot installations to be net-zero energy and the first six to be net-zero waste by 2020. A net-zero waste installation reduces, reuses and recovers waste streams—converting them to resource values with zero landfill over the course of a year. Net-zero energy calls for an installation to create as much energy as it uses. Fort Hunter Liggett was selected as both a net-zero energy and net-zero waste pilot site.
Sierra Energy’s FastOx Pathfinder system will help the site meet both initiatives by providing secure, cost effective and renewable sources of electricity, while simultaneously eliminating waste that would otherwise be sent to landfills, says the company.
“We are honored to help the Department of Defense achieve their renewable energy goals,” says Mike Hart, CEO of Sierra Energy. “And the prominence of the project will show communities across the United States and beyond the benefits of deploying the FastOx Pathfinder community-scale system.”
“Sierra Energy is a leader in transforming municipal solid waste to electricity,” says Nicole Lederer, co-founder of Environmental Entrepreneurs and an advisor for Sierra Energy. “There is a strong synergy between Sierra Energy’s technology and the DoD’s commitment to diminish its energy requirements, increase renewable energy generation and reduce waste at installations”
The system’s modular and compact design opens opportunities to provide renewable, distributed generation across all DoD facilities, even in remote locations, and, environmentally, FastOx diverts potent landfill emissions, and operates with fewer criteria pollutants than conventional electricity generation methods.
Sierra Energy conducts much of its research and development at the Renewable Energy Testing Center at McClellan Park, a location specifically created to help clean technology companies test and validate renewable energy and waste conversion technologies..
“I applaud Sierra Energy on their recent grant award from the U.S. Department of Defense that will help our nation’s military reduce its carbon footprint and spur investment in clean energy technology,” Congresswoman Matsui said. “I have seen firsthand Sierra Energy’s gasification technology at the Renewable Energy Testing Center at McClellan Business Park, and it is a shining example of the clean technology that the Sacramento region is becoming well-known for. I will continue to support innovative companies and programs that improve our environment and help lead to increased energy independence.”