How The Backbone of Naval Aviation Training is Testing New Technology to Improve Operational Resilience
As part of the ongoing efforts of the Naval Base, NAS Whiting Field is building a Darcy geothermal system to improve operating efficiency and further their mission by testing the technology. NAS Whiting Field Installation Energy Manager, Jason Poe, and Facilities Management Director, George Rials, and they indicated that this building would be a good fit for the demonstration.
With a current 60-ton air-cooled chilled water system, depending on the specific building details and its heating and cooling needs, the Darcy system could be sufficient to replace the existing system or supplement a hybrid system. In either case, the existing system could be left in place to provide full redundancy, if desired.
Next Steps: Mobilization and Construction in 2026
Given the need of military sites’ need to potentially island operations from utility grid, geothermal is an excellent electric options to couple with distributed energy systems such as solar and storage. The team is excited to construct and test this new design at NAS Whiting Field for operational efficiency and advancement of the their mission.
Darcy team members have completed a site walk of the facility in Q4 of 2025 and are currently working to finalize the design of the system with project partners and facility managers.