by Shane Henson — April 27, 2012—California’s Edwards Air Force Base is now generating much of its own power after working with Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., a global producer of solar panels, who recently supplied the base with 3.4 megawatts (MW) of solar panels.
The solar installation at Edwards Air Force Base was designed, financed, and installed by Borrego Solar, a national solar solutions provider, at no upfront cost to Edwards Air Force Base.
The more than 12,000 solar panels provided for the project, which started generating power in February 2012, were made at Suntech’s manufacturing facility in Goodyear, Arizona. Solar panels produced at Suntech’s Goodyear facility are compliant for procurement in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Buy American Act projects, says the company.
Through a power purchase agreement (PPA), Borrego Solar will sell the clean power generated back to Edwards Air Force Base at an economical and fixed rate, offsetting an average of six percent of the energy consumption across three facilities.
“Our utility bills for the summer actually double, but our consumption only goes up three percent,” said James Judkins, civil engineering director for the 95th Air Base Wing. “What we’re trying to do with this project is not so much conserve energy, but save money. Our utility bill can range anywhere from $15 million to $18 million a year and you have to pay that bill. If you don’t have the electricity, the planes don’t fly.”
