The Department of Energy should increase use of solar power at the Savannah River Site as it addresses aging infrastructure issues, the SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) said Tuesday.
The recommendation was forwarded to DOE headquarters on a 17-0 board vote. It emphasizes the 310-square-mile South Carolina facility’s suitability for solar power: plenty of cleared land on which solar panels could be installed, along with the Aiken-area climate that “provides abundant sunlight.”
The Energy Department can now partially or fully accept, or reject, the recommendation.
The CAB is one of eight local advisory boards that monitor activities at Department of Energy nuclear cleanup sites in their respective regions. These boards have no actual authority, but can offer recommendations to the Energy Department on operations of the nearby facility.
Solar panels are already used to power Savannah River’s stormwater monitoring station and some streetlights.
But the CAB said DOE could go further, recommending the agency consider the use of solar panels on rooftops at SRS to supply renewable energy to those buildings; and perform a study to determine the costs and benefits of solar-generated power in various parts of the site. The recommendation does not include specifics, such as how many buildings should be solar powered or how soon the study should be conducted.
Board members’ interest in solar energy grew from a DOE presentation to the CAB in September on infrastructure needs at the Savannah River Site. The presentation noted that only 12 percent of the facility’s infrastructure – which includes buildings, piping, and roads and bridges – is under 15 years old.
