White Sands Missile Range Home to U.S. Army’s Largest Solar Power System
Today the U.S. Army dedicated the U.S. Army’s largest solar photovoltaic
(PV) system at White Sands Missile Range. The ceremony was led by
Brigadier General Gwen Bingham, who was joined by the Honorable
Katherine Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations,
Energy and Environment.
Developed in coordination with the U.S. Army Engineering and Support
Center, Huntsville (Huntsville Center), Siemens Government Technologies,
Inc. and Bostonia, the four megawatt White Sands Missile Range solar
energy system will generate approximately 10 million kilowatt-hours of
clean electricity annually, and provide an estimated annual savings of
$930,000. Complemented by a 375 kW solar carport, the solar array
deployed at White Sands will supply approximately 10 percent of the
total power used at the installation and reduce carbon emissions by
7,400 tons per year. Featuring Solaria's proprietary technology, the 4.1
MW ground-mounted tracking system is also the world's largest low
concentration photovoltaic solar power plant.
“This is an exciting project for the U.S. Army,” said Garrison Commander
Colonel Leo Pullar. “A sunny location like New Mexico provides an ideal
site for solar power. This project illustrates the U.S. Army’s
commitment to going green, our focus on operating on net zero energy,
and doing what we can to help protect the environment.”
“We are very pleased to be inaugurating this milestone photovoltaic
installation,” said Will Irby, Huntsville Center program manager. “We’re
extremely grateful to the entire team, comprised of the staff from White
Sands Missile Range, Huntsville Center, Siemens, their subcontractor
Solaria Corporation and Bostonia, working under the leadership of
Brigadier General Gwen Bingham and Colonel Leo Pullar. Everyone has done
an outstanding job to bring this project to fruition.”
“Siemens is committed to helping the Department of Defense achieve
unprecedented levels of energy efficiency, security and independence,”
said Judy Marks, president and CEO of Siemens Government Technologies,
Inc. “Through this Energy Savings Performance Contract, the value of
sustainability is measured not just in terms of financial benefits, but
benefits to maintaining mission readiness, and the preservation of
options for the Army's future.”
“The Department of Defense is deploying renewable energy and reducing
its reliance on fossil fuel resources. This solar energy system
demonstrates that the U.S. government’s goals for enhancing security
through energy independence can be met both economically and practically
when the public and private sectors work together,” noted Dan Shugar,
CEO of Solaria Corporation, a subcontractor to Siemens.
Construction of the solar power plant began in April 2012 and was
completed in December 2012. The ground-mounted single-axis Solaria
tracking system follows the sun across the sky, increasing energy yield
by up to 30 percent over fixed systems. All energy generated from the
project will be consumed by onsite operations.
The $16.8 million solar PV system was the primary component of an Energy
Savings Performance Contract implemented by the Building Technologies
Division of Siemens Industry, Inc. Under the contract task order,
Siemens will maintain and operate the equipment and will sell the energy
it generates to White Sands Missile Range at the same rate they are
currently paying the local utility company. The Army will own the
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and use them toward meeting federal
renewable energy mandates. This project supports President Barack
Obama’s directive that federal agencies use Energy Savings Performance
Contracts to make $2 billion worth of energy efficiency upgrades over
the next year, as well as supporting the Army’s renewable energy goals.
About White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range provides Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of
Defense, and other customers with high quality services for
experimentation, test, research, assessment, development, and training
in support of the Nation at war. White Sands Missile Range offers a
world class Range Control facility, state of the art launch complexes,
extensive environmental test facilities, personnel experienced in all
aspects of testing and comprehensive data collection and processing
capabilities. For more information, please visit http://www.wsmr.army.mil.
About U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approximately 37,000 dedicated
Civilians and Soldiers delivering engineering services to customers in
more than 90 countries worldwide. With environmental sustainability as a
guiding principle, our disciplined Corps team is working diligently to
strengthen our nation’s security by building and maintaining America’s
infrastructure and providing military facilities where our service
members train, work and live. We are also researching and developing
technology for our war fighters while protecting America’s interests
abroad by using our engineering expertise to promote stability and
improve quality of life. For more information, please visit http://www.usace.army.mil.
About Siemens Government Technologies, Inc.
Siemens Government Technologies, Inc. is a Federally-compliant U.S.
organization structured to provide answers for some of the nation’s most
challenging issues within the Federal market in infrastructure, energy,
industry and healthcare. The company is the leading integrator for
Siemens’ innovative products, technologies and services to meet the
needs of Federal customers. For more information on Siemens Government
Technologies, Inc. please visit http://www.siemensgovt.com/.
About Siemens Industry, Inc. Building Technologies Division
Siemens Industry, Inc. Building Technologies Division is the world’s
market leader for safe and energy efficient buildings (“green
buildings”) and infrastructures. As a service provider, system
integrator and product vendor, Building Technologies has offerings for
building automation, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC),
fire protection and security. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies.
About Solaria Corporation
Solaria Corporation is a solar technology company that designs,
manufactures and integrates solar modules, trackers and expert design
services for large and utility scale installations. Solaria low
concentration PV modules use patented low-cost technology to provide
reliable performance while matching form and fit of conventional PV
modules. Solaria tracking systems optimize system performance and
deliver high energy yield. Solaria headquarters are in California with
operations in Germany and India. For more information, please visit www.solaria.com.