Carlisle National Guard Armory goes solar

The Carlisle National Guard Armory went operational with solar panels and LED lighting inside and out It’s all part of a

State and Federal initiative to have the armories in the state provide

25 percent of their annual usage with renewable energy by 2030 mandated by an executive order issued March 25, 2015, “Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade.”

“Our estimates show we will reduce our energy usage at the Carlisle location by 70 to 80 percent. LED lighting is the major contributor to that but the solar will also be a big help. The LED lights will brighten our parking lot and increase security also. The system we put in is a 60 KW system that will produce 90 KW hours annually,” Will Phillips, energy manager for the Kentucky National

Guard said.

The state is contributing 25 percent of the construction and installation costs and the Federal Government the other 75 percent. Estimates for the Carlisle Armory show that the upgrades will be paid off with energy savings in 16 years. The solar and LED lights have 25-year warranties but could last up to 40 years so the savings after the pay off will be substantial.

The National Guard has been working on energy savings for many years. In 2003 they paid roughly $3 million dollars a year on utilities across Kentucky. With other upgrades and the installations continuing across the state they expect to keep their usage at that rate or less, even with yearly increases by the utility companies. For 2016 they had lowered their costs to $2.55 Million Dollars.

The National Guard operates 54 Armories, 12 Field maintenance shops and three training sites in Kentucky, which add up to about two million square feet.

The Carlisle National Guard Armory is Home of Bravo Battery 2/138th FA and the Nicholas County Recruiting office. The local recruiter Johnny Parton lives in Carlisle.