Fort Sumter Reassumes National Focus after 150 Years
November 11, 2010
FortSumter National Monument to Be a Model of Energy Reliability andIndependence Among Remote U.S. Military Installations and National Parks
CHARLESTON, SC – NOVEMBER 11, 2010 – In a “first-of-its kind”collaboration, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Departmentof Defense (DOD), the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), the NationalPark Service, Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina ResearchAuthority (SCRA), and the Center for Hydrogen Research (CHR) will worktogether to deploy a family of technologies that will establish FortSumter National Monument as an energy self-sufficient island.
The agreement, funded cooperatively by the DOE and the National ParkService, is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ EngineerResearch and Development Center, Construction Engineering ResearchLaboratory (ERDC-CERL), SCRA affiliate Advanced TechnologyInternational (ATI) of Charleston, South Carolina, and the CHR ofAiken, South Carolina. This team will work together to transition FortSumter to a highly energy efficient facility that can operateindependently from the electric utility grid. The project team held akickoff meeting on October 7th at Fort Moultrie, followed by a sitevisit to Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is located on an island at theentrance to Charleston Harbor and currently receives primary power froman underground electric line and back-up power from an on-sitediesel-electric generator.
In November 2008 the National Park Service joined with the DOE and theDOI to establish an innovative partnership called Energy SmartPARKS. This program implements and showcases sustainable energy practices innational parks to inspire a green energy future for America. Theobjectives of the program include developing and expanding partnershipswith the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and educationalinstitutions.
The team’s initial focus will be to conduct a feasibility study andcost estimate for achieving project goals. The following phases, iffunded, will include installing a hydrogen-fuel cell backup powersystem and solar energy generation capability at the Fort. The projectteam is working to complete the installations and have the equipmentoperational in time to showcase the project during the year-longsesquicentennial events associated with the attack on Ft. Sumter inApril, 1861.
“This solar to hydrogen project at Fort Sumter demonstrates aninnovative solution that will generate clean power while relieving thegrid,” said Bill Mahoney, SCRA CEO. “In conjunction with our partners,we are delighted to launch this important project at Fort Sumter andhope that it will be replicated nationally. Our SCRA affiliate, ATI,illustrates how our proven business model can benefit thecommercialization process of rapidly growing clean energy technologiesin South Carolina and beyond.”
“This project allows the state of South Carolina to showcase the manyopportunities to address national energy requirements,” said FredHumes, Director, CHR. “South Carolina’s workforce has the talent, theknow-how and the creativity to help advance the nation’s solutions topressing energy needs.”
The CHR team includes:
- The Boudreaux Group, Architects and Interdisciplinary Design, Columbia, SC
- Banks Engineering, Electrical Engineer, Greenwood, SC
- Greenway Energy, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Consultants, Aiken, SC
- Logan Energy Carolina, Fuel Cell Energy Engineering and Installation, Columbia, SC
- Sunstore Solar, Solar Engineers and Installers, Greer, SC
- Savannah River National Laboratory, a Department of Energy Research and Development Laboratory, Aiken, SC
About the U.S. Department of Energy’sFuel Cell Technologies Program
The U.S. Department of Energy(DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Program conducts comprehensive efforts to overcomethe technological, economic, and institutional obstacles to the widespreadcommercialization of fuel cells and related technologies. The program works with partners in industry,academia, non-profit institutions, and the national laboratories, andcoordinates closely with other programs in four DOE offices – Energy Efficiencyand Renewable Energy, Science, Fossil Energy, and Nuclear Energy. The mission of the program is to enable thewidespread commercialization of fuel cells in diverse sectors of the economywith emphasis on projects that will most effectively strengthen our nation’senergy security and improve our stewardship of the environment.
About theEngineer Research and DevelopmentCenter
The Missionof the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is to provide science,technology, and expertise in engineering and environmental sciences in supportof our Armed Forces and the Nation to make the world safer and better. For more information, please see www.cecer.army.mil.
About Ft.Sumter NationalMonument
Decades of growing strife between North and South eruptedin civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fireon this Federal fort in CharlestonHarbor. Begun in1829 and almost completed by 1860, the five-sided fort was erected on a manmadeisland and named for South Carolina Revolutionary War patriot ThomasSumter. Ruined by the Civil War, today’s FortSumter only slightly resembles thehuge fortification that once dominated the entrance to CharlestonHarbor. For moreinformation, please see www.nps.gov/fosu/.
About the National Park Service’s EnergySmartPARKS Initiative
In November 2008 the National Park Service joined with theU.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Energy to establishan innovative partnership called Energy SmartPARKS. This programimplements and showcases sustainable energy practices in
national parks toinspire a green energy future for America. The objectives of the program include developing and expanding partnershipswith the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and educationalinstitutions. For more information, please see www.nps.gov/energy/.
About SCRA
SCRA is a global leader in applied research andcommercialization services with its headquarters in SouthCarolina. SCRA collaborates to advance technology,providing knowledge-based solutions with assured outcomes to industry andgovernment, with the help of research universities in SC, the USand around the world. http:/www.scra.org
About Advanced Technology International
The Advanced Technology International builds globalconsortia to develop and implement innovative solutions for manufacturing,aerospace, automotive, maritime, metals, energy and healthcare industries. ATI-led collaborations attract world-classtalent from premier companies, universities, and government agencies to definetechnology roadmaps and research portfolios matched to business demands that providethe requisite resources to solve shared challenges. A private, non-profitresearch corporation with principal operations in Charleston,SC, ATI is an affiliate of SCRA. http://www.aticorp.org
About the Center for Hydrogen Research
The Center for Hydrogen Research (CHR) is a wholly-ownedsubsidiary of the Economic Development Partnership of Aiken and EdgefieldCounties, South Carolina. The CHR operates a research and technologytransfer laboratory, sponsors research in hydrogen and other alternative energysources and sponsors/participates in alternative energy demonstration projects. http://www.discoverarc.com
