02/06/12 6:20am

Article By: CleanTechnica

February 6, 2012 By Joshua Hill

It was just announced last week that the U.S. Army awarded three Energy Savings Performance Contracts in December totaling $61 million, including a contract that will result in the largest renewable energy project put into place by the U.S. Army.

Together, the three projects will save the Army a total of 267 billion BTUs annually and provide the Army with 8.2 megawatts of renewable power capacity.

At Fort Carson, Colo., the Army partnered with a local energy provider to build a photovoltaic solar array on top of a closed landfill. The White Sands Missile Range project in New Mexico, awarded last December, will provide the Army with 4.44-megawatts of installed photovoltaic capacity saving 10 million kilowatt hours of electricity and $930,000 annually. When finished, the White Sands project will be the largest renewable energy project in the Army, more than double the size of this two-megawatt array at Fort Carson.

White Sands Missile Range

The first project was awarded to Siemens Government Technologies to provide the Army with 4.44 megawatts of installed photovoltaic capacity at the White Sands Missile Range. The $16.8 million contract will generate more than 10 percent of the installation’s electrical needs via solar energy by the end of this year, saving the Army 10 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, a total of $930,000 saved a year.

When the installation is completed, this project will result in the largest renewable energy project in the Army, more than double the size of the current contender, the 2-megawatt array at Fort Carson, Colorado.

Fort Bliss, Texas

This project will see Johnson Controls Inc. save the Army $42 million in energy costs over 25 years by purchasing energy produced by 5,500 solar panels for Fort Bliss, Texas, without the Army actually owning the equipment. The $16 million project was awarded to offset peak afternoon energy demands when utility rates are at their highest, and to get around potential brown-outs which are prone to occur.

Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico

John Controls was also awarded a $34-million contract to instal wind and solar photovoltaic systems, LED lighting, energy management control systems, and other energy conservation equipment and processes at Fort Buchanan and 11 Army Reserve Centres on the island of  Puerto Rico. This project is expected to save the Army more than $65 million over the life of the 16 year contract.

Source: U.S. Army

Related posts:

1. US Army Wants to Build World's Most Powerful Solar Array
2. U.S. Awards Rural Energy Funds to Hydro Projects in Four States
3. Army Going Solar With 500 MW of Solar Power in Mojave Desert

This is a cross post from CleanTechnica.