The United States Air Force is now in joint agreement with Fotowatio Renewable Ventures of San Francisco as they are planning to establish a 500 MW solar project at Edwards Air Force base, as reported by “Los Angeles Times”.
A total of 3,288 acres of land will be used at Edwards AFB to install solar panels. It is the hugest solar project undertaken by Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) in respect to its client (department of Defense). Fotowatio will be given exclusive right to perform various studies on the land. The construction is however not going to be active before 2013.
Fotwatio has well known history having completed several projects in both United States and Europe with capacity of 130 to 1000 Megawatts. A previous solar project for the military was the 14.2 system that was construed at Nellis Air Force base.
At steward Air National Guard Base, situated in New York, a benchmarking solar energy project is expected to be undertaken. The project is going to be constructed this year and will have a capacity to supply 100 households with energy.
The expansion of renewable energy in the defense sector is being done so under the federal Defense Appropriations bill that proclaims that the military will produce at least 25 percent of energy that it uses from renewable sources. This is to be concluded by 2025.
There are also other similar projects that are being undertaken by Department of the Navy (DoN) and USDA. Several bio-fuel projects have been reported.
The navy is aiming to have ships and nuclear vessels running on bio-fuel by 2012. “The Domestic Fuel” reports that by 2016, aircraft for the military may be powered by bio-fuel.
Moreover, the Navy is ambitious to reduce the level of petroleum used. It is expecting that by 2010, 50,000 hybrid or electric vehicles will be in use.
There have already been many remarkable progresses. The Navy has decreased their consumption of energy by 12 percent with wind, solar, geothermal and ocean thermal energy in various military bases in California for year 2008. The direction is still pursuing a green future as new alternative projects are at the emergence.
Source: Environmental Leaders
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