Aviano officials tap into Earth's energy: Construction has begun at Aviano Air Base (Italy) to build a $680,000 geothermal plant here, the first of its kind in U.S. Air Forces in Europe.
'Aviano (AB officials are) actively leaning forward on numerous utility and energy-saving initiatives,' said Lt. Col. Bo Bloomer, the 31st Civil Engineer Squadron commander. 'The geothermal plant is one cutting-edge technology that we're bringing to the base. We are excited to bring the first geothermal technology on Aviano (AB), and we're excited about the savings that will come.'
Geothermal is one method of obtaining renewable energy by using the Earth's temperature to either heat up or cool down liquid, usually water."
"With the geothermal system, we will be able to eliminate the boiler that currently heats the hot water," he said. "With this, we can save the gas being used to heat the water. We are not going to spend any money to heat the water anymore."
During the summer, electricity costs for the air conditioning system will be eliminated. This is accomplished as the geothermal plant has the capability to cool down the air conditioning system's refrigerant."
