AUGUSTA (WKZO) — Fort Custer will not only be the location of an experimental windmill design for the generation of electricity, but they are also installing a large array of solar panels to help power the base.
Lt. Col. Mark Gorzynski says their goal is “complete energy independence”. He says “We have plans for harnessing solar and wind power, and a large-scale recycling initiative that will add Fort Custer to the list of leaders in the nation for net zero energy use.”
They plan to add a second solar array and they are one of two military bases in Michigan picked to install and gauge the effectiveness of a “wind funnel”, which captures the breeze and theoretically boosts the wind’s efficiency, much like a dam focuses the power of flowing water.
The array under construction will consist of 780 panels that will generate 257,000 Kilowatts of electrical power. The second array will be able to produce 300,000 Kw.
While the goal is energy independence, the mandate is to bring the Fort Custer Training Center into compliance with an Executive Order that requires that federal agencies meet several water, energy, and waste reduction targets.
