Four U.S. Military Bases Go Solar

Wednesday, 25 June 2014 00:00 Katerina Oskarsson
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The U.S. Army teamed up with Georgia Power to install large photovoltaic solar arrays at three military bases. The arrays, scheduled to start generating power in 2015, will allow the Army to supply 18% of its electricity in Georgia from on-site renewable sources, moving it 9% closer to meeting federal goals for renewable energy. There will be no incremental cost to the Army or change in its rates or utility costs as all the electricity produced by these solar projects will be delivered to the utility’s grid. However, the military bases will be prioritized from Georgia Power during service interruptions. Read more at EnergyWire here. Meanwhile, the Army also plans to start development of another solar array at Fort Huachuca in Arizona in a joint effort between the U.S. Army Energy Initiative Task Force, Fort Huachuca, The General Services Administration, Tucson Electric Power and developer E.ON Climate and Renewables. The project will generate about 25% of the annual installation electricity demand, with commercial operations slated to begin by late 2014. The project, part of U.S. Army‘s goal to deploy one gigawatt of renewable energy by 2025, is the largest solar energy project DoD has undertaken so far. Read more here.