Robins Air Force Base Museum of Aviation Is Going 100% Green Energy

Special to the Journal

 

Effective May 1, the Robins Air Force Base (RAFB) Museum

of Aviation is “going green” with 100% of their power supplied by renewable energy from

Flint Energies. With this final agreement between the RAFB Office of Civil

Engineering and Flint Energies, the Air Force Base will now be buying green

energy for its entire Museum complex.

“Flint Energies is proud to assist the US Air Force with its goal of being

environmentally responsible with this purchase of green energy for the Museum,”

said Flint Sr. Vice President Jimmy Autry. “The relationship between the Museum

of Aviation and Flint goes all the way back through the Museum’s history.”

Robins AFB had been buying enough green energy for the Museum’s Eagle building

since 2009. Flint serves electricity to the entire Museum complex, but not the

rest of Robins Air Force Base, according to Autry. The new rate agreement is in

response to a request made by Robins Office of Civil Engineering back in 2008

to find suitable renewable energy to help meet the US Department of Defense’s

mandate.

The green power to be used by the Museum complex is generated at the Houston

County landfill located just off Georgia Hwy 247 near Hawkinsville. The

landfill generation located there gives Flint members access to 3.2 megawatts

of environmentally “green power” at an affordable price.

Flint’s new Commercial Green Energy rate will actually create savings for the

US Air Force over the prior billing rate. The Museum is the first Flint

Energies member to sign up for Commercial Green Energy, but the rate is

potentially available to other commercial members.

Since January 2011, Houston County has been selling its waste methane

(landfill) gas to Flint. Flint buys the methane gas from the County and buys

power generation output from PowerSecure International, Inc. (NASDAQ:POWR) www.powersecure.com who owns and operates the generation plant facilities. “This partnership

is good for Robins Air Force Base, for Flint members, and for the residents of

Houston County who benefit from the revenues derived from what was considered

waste,” said Autry.

Renewable ‘green’ energy is an important part of the future of power generation

for Flint Energies members. “We were part of Green Power EMC’s www.greenpoweremc.com efforts to build renewable energy generation, including the first

landfill gas in the State of Georgia in 2003 at the Taylor County landfill in

Mauk, Autry added.”

Flint also demonstrates renewable energy generation with a solar panel

installation at Huntington Middle School in Warner Robins. Flint member Clean

Control Corporation hosts a 150 kilowatt solar power installation owned by

Green Power EMC, and several of Flint’s residential members have integrated

their solar panels into the power grid. About 10% of Flint’s power generation

comes from hydroelectric power purchased from the Southeastern Power

Administration.

“Green power is electric energy produced by renewable, more environmentally

friendly sources, leading to less negative air, water and natural resource impacts,”

said Autry. “Typical technologies used to create green power are landfill gas,

solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydropower.”

“As in all renewable energy purchases, energy used by the Museum of Aviation

buildings is not directly routed from the landfill to the Museum,” said Autry,

“but by subscribing to green energy, the US Air Force is supporting the

purchase and use of clean renewable energy.”

Editorial Note: The Museum of Aviation

uses about 2.4 million kilowatt-hours per year.

About the Robins Air Force Base Museum

of Aviation www.museumofaviation.org  

The Robins Air Force Base Museum of

Aviation is one of the largest aviation museums in the United States and a

major Air Force Heritage, Exhibit and Education Center in the Southeast.

Situated on a 51-acre site on Robins Air Force Base, the museum is the second

largest museum in the U.S. Air Force with a collection of over 100 aircraft,

missiles and cockpits dating from a replica of an early 1896 glider to

modern-era aircraft such as the B-1B bomber, the SR-71 Blackbird, the U-2

Dragon Lady and F-15 Eagle.

The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums – one of only

nine aviation museums in the United States to receive such an honor.

Informative and interesting exhibits tell the story of aviation events from

World War II to the present, including one-of-a-kind exhibits depicting the

mission of Robins Air Force Base, the largest industrial employer in Georgia.

Home of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame, one will find displays on the

achievements of visionary civilian and military men and women who made

significant contributions to aviation in Georgia. Admission is free and the

museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New

Year’s Day and is located 10 miles east of I-75 exit 144 at the end of Russell

Parkway.

 

About Flint Energies www.flintenergies.com

Flint Energies is a not-for-profit

cooperative owned by thousands of member in parts of 17 central Georgia

counties. Flint directly employs 233 employees and serves more than 86,000

electric meters. We are 100% locally-controlled and democratically governed by

11 members elected from among the membership. In 1937, Flint Energies was

created to bring people together to meet common needs like reliable electric

energy, and our mission remains focused on improving the quality of life in

Middle Georgia. Flint is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, part of the

nationwide family of electric cooperatives exhibiting the core values of

integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community.

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