The Pentagon is going green with the installation of solar panels as part of President Biden’s $104 million push to have federal buildings switch to clean energy.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, announced the projects Wednesday at the Pentagon.
In addition to the solar panels, the Pentagon will also have a heat pump system and solar thermal panels installed to reduce reliance on systems that use natural gas and fuel oil combustion.
Solar panels will provide “an uninterrupted power source” at the Pentagon in case of a cyberattack or other outage to the bulk grid, as well as reduce strain on the building’s power load, Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, said.
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The Pentagon is just one of 31 government sites selected for the $104 million in Energy Department grants, which also include Naval bases in Georgia and Washington state, as well as the Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Tennessee and other agency buildings for Veterans Affairs and the Transportation Department.
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Energy Department officials said the program is also expected to leverage more than $361 million in private investment.
The projects align with Biden’s 2021 executive order that called for a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from federal operations by 2030 and a net-zero building portfolio by 2045.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
