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Solar PV Takes Off at U.S. Air Force Base

April 24, 2007 | 8 Comments

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Las Vegas, Nevada [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Much like the powerful message photovoltaic (PV) installations planned for commercial stores such as Target and Wal-Mart send to the public about the practical benefits of solar power, large-scale projects that involve the U.S. military also have the potential to lead to the widespread use of renewable energy at the "civilian" level.

"The Nellis solar power plant is the start of the way ahead for future [Department of Defense] and community partnerships."

-- Col. Michael Bartley, Nellis Air Force Base, commander of the 99th Air Base Wing

The Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, which, along with being the "Home of the Fighter Pilot," will soon house a 15-megawatt (MW) PV system, is one such project. Slated to be the largest solar PV system in North America once completed later this year, construction on the system is now under way after an official groundbreaking ceremony took place in the Mojave Desert yesterday.

"The Department of Defense has a long history of developing and commercializing technology that later gains widespread application use. The potential to harness the federal government's purchasing power to rapidly deploy solar and bring down the costs is being realized with this project, and we anticipate increased use by federal agencies mindful of the need for energy security and price stability," said Noah Kaye, director of public affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

MMA Renewable Ventures will finance, own and operate the system that will occupy 140 acres of land leased from the Air Force at the western edge of the base - and sell the power to Nellis under the terms of a Power Purchase Agreement.

The ground-mounted solar system will feature approximately 70,000 panels and employ an advanced tracking system, designed and deployed by PowerLight, a subsidiary of SunPower Corp., to follow the sun.

"In addition to its sheer size and the Air Force's impressive dedication to furthering renewable energy deployment, the Nellis project demonstrates how a carefully crafted third-party finance solution can effectively meet the needs of even the largest federal and municipal energy consumers," said Matt Cheney, CEO of MMA Renewable Ventures.

Even though the system is rated at approximately 15 MW, the patented PowerLight PowerTracker system will capture up to 30 percent more energy than an equivalent ground-mounted fixed-tilt system -- and produce the same amount of power generated as a fixed-mounted rooftop solar system with a rating of 18 MW.

With the ability to supply more than 25 percent of the power used at the base, the Nellis solar energy system is expected to generate over 25 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually and support the more than 12,000 military and civilians responsible for Air Force advanced combat training, tactics development and operational testing.

"The Nellis solar power plant is the start of the way ahead for future [Department of Defense] and community partnerships," said Col. Michael Bartley, commander of the 99th Air Base Wing at Nellis. "The base will benefit from the energy produced, the environment benefits from using clean solar energy, and we may even test state-of-the-art security measures at the site. This is a good thing for everyone."

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8 Reader Comments

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1 of 8

jim-berry-51310

April 24, 2007

I hate to complain, but this article could easily be spun in to saying that the military is over spending $4,500 or more per hour on solar power versus wholesale rates. (.35 to .60 cents versus .05 to .15 at 15 MWs)

This doesn't make the base energy independant, unless it has a massive battery system.

This doesn't make the base safer. If the base were attacked, are those panels damage resistant? Bombs? Bullets? (I will conceed that particular base is unlikely to be attack)

This is corporate welfare in a military uniform. It is no different than buying unneed ships or trucks to save jobs.

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adrian-akau-36758

April 24, 2007

Joseph is right but I am particularly looking forward to military bases with concentrated solar installed. I think that the advantage of concentrated solar, especially like the trough type in Solar 1, is that the heat energy can be stored and converted into electricity for use during non-solar hours. I am sure that the companies producing this excellent technology would be delighted to provide it to all military bases where long term power saving is part of the planning.

I would not mind seeing a coastal military base apply for a wave farm project or a base located close to Geothermal sources make good use of them.

adrianakau@aol.com

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3 of 8

mortimer-shnerdlyfrump-47009

April 24, 2007

I would like to see all military bases across the country become completely independent of the electricity grid. That dependency is a security risk. I would also hope that 50% or more of their power be from renewables.

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eugene-lucas-60935

April 25, 2007

Folks, let's face it PV, at the present state of the technology, just is not cost effective. All that my change if the 40% efficient Spectrol multi-layer solar cells turn out to be cost-effective. Or, if the research in New Zealand (see Renewable Energy Access 4/20) works out. I wish the government would be spending money on technology-improving research, instead of on old technology. We need technology that will make California's million solar rooftop plan work, and we need it quickly - people are tired of rebates and other mandated PV solutions.

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rick-schwerdtfeger-41165

April 25, 2007

Jim,
PV systems are currently averaging about $.28 per kwh, not $.35 - $.60 as you mentioned. Those numbers are probably 5 years old. And Nevada's average electicity rates are $.0948 per kwh which is about 10% above the national average. Couple that with the likely addition of real-time pricing from utilities, and daytime peak load pricing will be much higher. In fact, peak pricing routinely goes well above the price of solar electricity if you look at utilities that offer it.

And with utilities raising their rates by an average of 7% per year for the past couple of years, it won't be very many years when $.28 per kwh seems like a bargain, especially when it allows accountants and lenders to know the fixed cost of power for the next 25-40 years.

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jim-berry-51310

April 26, 2007

A lot of Solar people are cool aid drinkers (followers of a suidial cult).

My figures for solar costing between $.30 to $.60 is from Solar Buzz year end report for 2006 documenting the installation of 1746 MW of Solar panels being installed.

My figure for general energy costs are from the industrial magizine Distributed Power by Forester.

Distrubited Power claims Hydro, coal, gas and Nukes cost %.05 to $.08 while low use peaker plants and wind come in around $.15.

Note, many cogeneration systems for office buildings/super markets come in at $.18 plus they can use excess heat generated to offset heating and cooling expenses. Those systems can run on natural gas, propane, oil and in theory hydrogen.

Since military bases need the experience of running gernator systems for remote base operations, the use of a cogeneration system is cheap, clean and practical. It costs .18 or less with solar at .30 to 60 2x to 4x the costs. (.28 according to some that 50% increase)

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thor-williams-26775

April 30, 2007

Cost effective- can anyone name anything in the military that is cost effective? Is a $2,000,000,000 stealth plane cost effective when a cruise missile could do pretty much the same thing?
In civilian life what is cost effective? The 4wd SUV driving one person a couple miles to work in the city when mass transit or a moped would do just as well? A 5000 square foot house when all a person really needs is a couple hundred square feet at most? The 52 inch plasma TV when a 12 inch black and white or even a radio would do just as well? If solar cells or wind or whatever will save a person or business 5c over its lifetime, its doing better than most anything Americans or the world at large will ever buy. If it can cut CO2 emmissions also so much the better.

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c-b-68251

July 1, 2007

According to the figures released by the Air Force the PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) saves them an average of $0.04/kWh over what they are currently paying on the 25 million kWh they are expecting to receive each year from the solar panels. As rates go up their savings will increase because the rate is fixed over the length of the agreement.

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