By Greentech Lead Team: Borrego Solar Systems, a
designer, installer and financier of grid-tied government solar photovoltaic
(PV) systems, announced it has completed a 3.4 megawatt (MW) solar power
installation at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California.
The system employs 3 ground-mounted, single-axis tracking
solar farms. It is the largest military project completed by Borrego Solar to
date. The system is expected to offset an average of 6 percent of the energy
consumption across the three facilities.
The system was financed via Borrego Solar’s in-house
Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). As per the agreement, Borrego Solar will sell
energy back to Edwards Air Force Base at an economical and fixed rate. By
entering into a PPA with Borrego Solar, military facility managers can move
solar projects forward, and enjoy many of the benefits of solar energy while
investing zero upfront capital costs.
“Financing large-scale projects can be tough in this
economic climate, so a PPA made a lot of sense for us, as it eliminated the
need for upfront investment and long term maintenance. The deal allowed us to
quickly implement solar on our facility and deliver immediate operational
savings,” said Amy
Frost, chief of the civil engineer Asset Management Branch for Edwards Air Force Base.
Scaling up efforts such as this to promote energy
security, the Department of the Army recently established the Energy
Initiatives Task Force (EITF) to oversee the Army’s goal of transitioning to 25
percent renewable energy use by 2025.
“We are proud to have completed this project as it
is a great example of how public-private partnerships can succeed and allow the
development and installation of large-scale solar energy systems on government
property,” said Mike Hall, CEO of Borrego Solar.
Recently, the company was awarded a
contract by the General Services Administration (GSA), certifying it to provide
solar installation services to federal agencies.