Geothermal Power Improves the National Guard’s Resiliency
Ryan Edwards
In its efforts to be a leader on energy efficiency, the Texas Army National Guard turned to an innovative geothermal-based design to reduce energy demand and increase sustainability for the heating and cooling system at the El Paso Hondo Pass Readiness Center.
The system, designed by Freese and Nichols, helped resolve problems encountered by air-cooled systems in locations such as El Paso, where dusty conditions make constant cleaning of the coils necessary and quickly shifting temperatures put extra stress on compressors and fans.
Installing a geothermal system helped the center to improve its energy efficiency and guarantee continuous operations to meet its state and federal responsibilities, especially in an emergency. The new system also helped the facility move closer to becoming net zero energy efficient with the addition of a rooftop photovoltaic array in the future.
The Texas Army National Guard is a component of the Texas Military Department and operates dozens of Readiness Centers and other installations across the state. The Hondo Pass system provides a model that can be used at similar facilities.
The Military Engineer magazine, published by the Society of American Military Engineers, features the project in its September-October. Read the full article.
For more information about the project, contact Ryan Edwards, ryan.edwards@freese.com, or Vimal Nair, vrn@freese.com.