Energy and the Environment

Management for Efficiency, Relief for the Environment

SAIC has designed, implemented, and managed hundreds of energy-efficiency, demand-reduction, and sustainability programs for government and commercial customers. The results: long-term, effective solutions that help to save money, manage risk and minimize environmental impacts.

These projects are part of a decades-long story of SAIC supporting energy and the environment.

For example, with SAIC’s help, facilities participating in Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program reduced the cost of pumping, treating, delivering and cleaning water by 20 percent to 35 percent. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost effective energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects. As the lead in this program, SAIC helps Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect the environment, and control the state’s growing demand for electricity and natural gas.

SAIC also invests in internal research and development to help customers improve energy operations by, among other things, managing risks associated with volatile prices. The SAIC-developed Energy Enterprise Dashboard, for example, provides commercial and industrial managers with a tool to quickly identify energy inefficiencies and address them in a timely manner.

Producing Jet Fuel from Algae

To reduce the U.S. military’s reliance on foreign oil for powering its aircraft, ground vehicles, and non-nuclear ships, SAIC is working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to explore energy alternatives. For an alternative to be viable, the fuel must be produced at a cost that is economically competitive with current supply costs. Under a prime contract awarded by DARPA in FY09, SAIC is leading a team of industrial and academic organizations to develop technologies and processes for producing petroleum-derived jet fuel from algae at a target cost of $3 per gallon.

Shaping Development of Wave and Tidal Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy has tapped SAIC to lead the U.S. contribution to develop international standards that will shape the generation of electricity from wave and tidal energy. The standards are aimed at devices that convert wave and water current energy into electricity, and are a key element to the successful development of the industry. In addition to its strong engineering and scientific background, SAIC was chosen for this role, in part, because of its vendor-neutral stance.

Galina Martynenko Mechanical Designer

“I help design new processes using alternative energy sources in lieu of traditionally used fossil fuels, such as natural gas. The sources include sawdust, peanut hulls, and landfill gas. I also work on providing automation to reduce human efforts for labor-intensive tasks.”

Assessing Impacts of Global Climate Change

For the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, SAIC teamed with World Energy Solutions to support the first legislatively mandated cap-and-trade greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions allowance auction in the United States. SAIC developed accounting, monitoring, and verification protocols for GHG regulations and assessed how public policy options to control GHG, especially carbon, will impact customers’ energy capital planning and bottom lines.

SAIC also supports agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in collecting data and interpreting weather patterns that are critical in assessing the impacts of global climate change, and helps international agencies assess ways to reduce energy demand and GHG emissions in developing countries.

Providing Environmental Services to Chevron

Since 2002, SAIC has supported Chevron as one of its largest environmental suppliers, providing technical engineering and environmental support at active and inactive Chevron sites. In FY09, Chevron U.S.A., Inc., awarded SAIC a master services agreement to continue this work. Primary services include environmental remediation, engineering design, modeling, risk assessment, and groundwater and compliance monitoring.

Helping EPA Safeguard Drinking Water

SAIC supports a broad range of IT systems engineering and scientific research for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development. To help safeguard America’s drinking water supply, SAIC has worked with the EPA to develop and maintain the Safe Drinking Water Information System since 1993. Under a follow-on task order awarded in FY09, SAIC will continue this important work.

The system contains information about public water systems and their compliance with EPA’s drinking water regulations, as reported to the EPA by the states. These regulations establish maximum contaminant levels, treatment techniques, and monitoring and reporting requirements to ensure that water systems provide safe water to their customers.

Supporting Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment

Since 1995, SAIC has supported the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE) missions around the world. SAIC provides architecture and engineering services to administer, coordinate, and technically support the AFCEE’s environmental, military construction, military family housing, and facility sustainment, restoration and modernization programs.

Design-Build Work for Government and Commercial Customers

SAIC designs and builds energy-efficient facilities for a wide range of commercial and government customers. SAIC projects have won some of the industry’s highest honors and awards for design and construction, including 28 design awards in recognition of energy-efficient facilities.

In FY09, SAIC was awarded contracts by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design, engineer, and construct an advanced metal finishing facility and a ground support equipment facility at Robins Air Force Base (AFB) and a consolidated fuel, overhaul, repair, and test facility at Tinker AFB.

SAIC also won a multiple-award Energy Savings Performance Contract by the U.S. Department of Energy to design, construct, and obtain financing for projects that will reduce energy and water consumption and costs, and promote the use of renewable energy technologies across federal agencies.