New York's JFK First Airport to Install Geothermal Power

NEW YORK, New York, October 1, 2007 (ENS) - For the first time, geothermal energy will be used power a building at a United States airport. A police facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport will be coverted to geothermal power to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the New York and New Jersey Port Authority Board of Commissioners has decided.

The mechanical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning at JFK Building 254, which is a Port Authority Police facility, will be upgraded to make full use of heat that comes from within the Earth.

The building's heating and cooling will be fueled entirely by geothermal energy, which will reduce energy consumption at the site, producing an annual 820,000-pound carbon dioxide reduction.

This will be the first geothermal powered Port Authority facility, and the agency intends to convert more facilities to geothermal power use in the future.

The geothermal conversion is one of four capital projects authorized by the Board at its September 20 meeting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Port Authority facilities.

Port Authority Executive Director Anthony Shorris said, "With today's investments, we'll take over four million pounds of CO2 out of the air each year. This is an important step, but it's still just a beginning. Over the months and years to come, we'll be investing more of our resources to make sure we use less of the world's."

The four projects total $12.2 million and include the installation of energy-efficient LED lighting on the George Washington Bridge and in the Holland Tunnel, part of a broader program to equip all of the agency's bridges and tunnels with energy-efficient lighting.

Additionally, the installation of an advanced energy metering system at all Port Authority facilities was authorized.

"All of our capital investments are moving in this direction. We will use our 10-year Capital Plan as the guiding instrument for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency and cutting long-term operating maintenance costs," said Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia.

In May, Coscia announced that the agency would undertake an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Port Authority facilities by 80 percent from 2006 levels by the year 2050.

The new lighting in the Holland Tunnel will replace fluorescent bulbs. The new tunnel bulbs, which distribute light more efficiently and requires less energy, have life expectancies of 15 years, compared to 1.4 years for the existing tunnel lighting. They will produce annual energy and maintenance savings of $340,000.

The lights on the bridge will have life expectancies of 12 years, compared to one year for the existing ones. The Port Authority expects to save $49,000 in annual energy and maintenance costs with the bridge's new lights.

The Holland Tunnel and George Washington Bridge projects are scheduled for completion in 2008.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.