SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

Solar hot water is very efficient. Greater use of these systems can save money, energy and greenhouse gases.

Study the potential of using tidal stream generator technology in rivers below our existing dams and powerplants. Tidal stream generators (or TSGs) make use of the kinetic energy of moving water to power turbines, in a similar way to wind turbines that use moving air. This technology could reuse the moving water that has already gone through our powerplant generators and, as a result, generate more electricity to help... more »

Raise Taxes on Companies like NIKE that Outsource Work. Then offer tax advantages for companies that keep work in U.S. This could end our budget crisis with revenue it would bring in. We bring jobs to with companies that come back to U.S. with there jobs.

We need to build smart grids for our future use. A smart gird is one or more points where a wind or solar powered charging station is located for electric vehicle charging. An example would be a federal building parking structure for government vehicles. We could install solar panel arrays or wind turbines to harness the electricity to fuel government electric hybrid fleet vehicles.

The charging stations could charge... more »

The issue with CFL's the environmental factor due to the mercury. It is true that CFL's are energy efficient, however LED's take 50% less energy than CFL's and last 10 times longer. There is no mercury issue to deal with either and LED bulbs work with dimmer switches and are cool to the touch. CFL's take longer to warm up to light up a room and are usually too warm to remove soon after they are turned on. Link the LEDs... more »

Solar panels on government buildings would not only save the government money in the long run, but it would also set an example for millions of Americans.

PV Paybacks are long especially if all costs are considered and not what is spent by the agency (subsidies just take money from other investment opportunities with potentially greater paybacks). With that said, if we are going to do it don't do it on roofs. We have enough problems with roofs and installing PV panels on them will probably make them worse. Also roof replacements become very expensive if PV panels must... more »

Lets have Charging stations at all federal facilities for a monthly subscriber fee. Soon everyone will have an electric car we can can get infront of this now. The employees alone will make it beneficial let alone anyone else that uses them.

I left this in the Legislative Branch category because it can and does apply to many agencies. There is a big push by this administration to use solar and wind technology. Why are we not practicing what we preach? Why is there not a wind and solar farm on the White House lawn? I work at an Air Route Traffic Control Center and we use massive amounts of electricity. We also have massive amounts of space on the roof... more »

When I deployed to the Middle East, I found large fields of nasty diesel electric generators powering our base (and many, many air conditioners) spewing out God-knows-what while requiring a constant supply of fuel. Fuel delivery costs loads more than stateside, because of security measures. However, the desert has an abundance of both wind and sunlight.
The cost scale most certainly will tip toward the renewables when... more »

Land management agencies expend millions of dollars and labor hours on forest thinning projects as a necessary response to the threat of uncontrollable wildfire. Firefighters use chainsaws and hand tools to selectively cut down and remove living a dead wood and debris to promote forest health. These forest thinnings are typically gathered into “burn piles” and set on fire for disposal during optimal weather conditions.... more »

Turn large Federal facilities and bases into self-sustaining power plants using green energy such as solar, wind, geothermal, etc. This creates jobs, stimulates the local economy for each large facility, stimulate green initiatives, save money and the enviornment. Excess power can be sold back to the local power companies or used to charge an electric Federal fleet of cars.

Use Geothermal Energy for all government buildings new and old for prisons being built and retro fit all other prisons. At 7m in the ground the temp is a constant 50 degrees and at a little of 200 feet you get the heat from the earth, install this technology which is not new, just not widely used, there would not be a need for expensive heating and cooling systems that generate hefty bills and use precious fossil fuels.... more »

How much electricity does it cost to run a fitness center? Well, how much alternative energy could you fit into one? Fitness centers at military installations tend to be complexes with at least one large building. The opportunities to take advantage or alternative energy solutions are numerous: acres of roof space for solar panels; hundreds of people willing to peddle, spin, climb, or row generators; open fields where... more »

1. Conduct energy audit of Federal government Buildings to determine how the buildings consume energy; identify opportunities to eliminate waste, increase efficiency.
2. Use renewable energy technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV) solar panels in Federal buildings.
3. Install power management software for computer monitors.
4. Turn on power save features in office equipment - copiers and printers etc.
5. Use programmable... more »