Jay Clemens
The U.S. Air Force is looking into the possibility of using an energy-as-a-service model at its bases in order to keep facilities powered in the event of a cyber attack or a natural disaster, Federal News Radio reported Wednesday.
Jared Serbu writes the model could replace the Air Force’s existing business arrangements that involve enhanced-use leases and energy saving performance contracts to construct microgrids and energy plants on its facilities.
Mark Correll, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for environment, safety and infrastructure, said the energy-as-a-service concept is still in its early stage and will most likely involve partnership between a traditional electric utility and a private or nonprofit renewable energy firm.
“We’re going to have to have a utility lead it because we’re going to have to have someone to deal with state utility commissions, and then we’re going to need an ESCO to bring together all the authorities we have,†Correll told the Association of Defense Communities’ annual conference in Washington, according to the report.
The report said the Air Force also plans to make cash contributions to an approach that will bundle those authorities together in order to create a feasible energy assurance approach for a prospective provider
