by Jbs031310 g5 — March 15, 2010—The U.S. Navy recently awarded a $200 million contract to construct up to 40 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic power plants at Navy and Marine Corps facilities throughout the Southwestern United States, according to a newsletter from the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
The Navy chose five solar development companies to compete for individual projects, which will range from 1 to 15 MW. The five companies — SunEdison, AECOM Energy/Solar Power Partners Inc., SunPower Corporation, SunDurance Energy LLC, and Chevron Energy Solutions Company — will construct, own, operate, and maintain the systems, selling the power to the Navy and Marine Corps through power purchase agreements.
The first three solar projects will be located in California and are expected to be awarded later this spring, becoming fully operational within a year. The new solar projects will help the Navy achieve its goal to produce at least 50 percent of the Navy’s shore-based energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020.
