U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy presented the 2015 EPA Federal Green Challenge Award for Energy to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar on May 20, 2015. During her visit, she also toured an ESTCP-funded demonstration on the installation.

The Federal Green Challenge is a national effort challenging Federal agencies to lead by example in reducing the Federal Government's environmental impacts in six target areas: energy, water, waste, electronics, purchasing, and transportation. MCAS Miramar had the greatest reduction in energy use in 2014 of more than 400 participating government facilities nationwide. In 2014 the base reduced its fuel oil consumption by 98% by building a new aircraft hangar that uses natural gas, which eliminated the older, less efficient diesel fuel system.

During the tour of MCAS Miramar’s facilities, Ms. McCarthy visited an ESTCP-funded project demonstrating a Zinc Bromide Flow Battery Installation for Islanding and Backup Power, led by Raytheon. The project is integrating the flow battery with MCAS Miramar's photovoltaic (PV) panels as part of an energy storage system that will reduce energy costs through peak load reduction and support energy security with its ability to “island” the base from the grid when needed.

Another ESTCP-funded Energy project (EW-201252) currently being demonstrated at MCAS Miramar is dynamic windows which automatically tint and untint throughout the day to minimize solar heat-gain in the summer, maximize passive heating in the winter, and maximize the use of natural daylighting throughout the year.

With support from ESTCP projects such as these, MCAS Miramar should be a DoD Net-Zero Energy facility within a four-year timeframe.