SunPower today announced the commencement of operations for a 28-megawatt solar photovoltaic system at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, California.
The onsite system is the largest Air Force solar project in which the Air Force consumes all of the energy produced.
The power generated by the system is expected to meet about 35 percent of the base’s energy needs.
The base will purchase electricity under a 25-year power purchase agreement, providing Vandenberg with competitive, fixed electricity rates, and the Air Force will retain all of the associated environmental credits.
Alabama-headquartered Regions Bank provided the capital required for the solar project while Cornerstone Financial Advisors served as financial advisor to Regions Bank on this transaction.
The project features SunPower Oasis power plant technology which is a fully-integrated, modular solar power block system engineered for rapid deployment and land use optimization.
The Vandenberg system is generating solar electricity from land that has gone unused for over decade and is a former Air Force housing site.
The system is expected to provide 54,500 megawatt hours of energy annually – equivalent to offsetting carbon dioxide emissions from 8,600 cars for one year according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
SunPower is a solar advisor to various federal government agencies, deploying solar power systems at military facilities nationwide including more than 28 megawatts at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada; 10 megawatts of solar and 1 megawatt of energy storage at the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Alabama; 13.78 megawatts at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake; as well as 5.6 megawatts at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, the company said.