by Shane Henson — November 14, 2012—SunPower Corp., an international provider of residential, commercial and power plant solar solutions, announced the completion of the U.S. Navy’s largest solar system, a 13.78-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power system, at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, located on a dry lake in Kern County, California.
At the China Lake site, SunPower installed its SunPower Oasis Power Plant product, a fully integrated, modular solar power block that is engineered to rapidly and cost-effectively deploy utility-scale solar projects while optimizing land use. Each power block integrates the SunPower T0 Tracker with SunPower’s high-efficiency solar panels, pre-manufactured system cabling, the Oasis smart inverter and the Oasis operating system, the company says.
Although just recently completed, the solar system is already generating the equivalent of more than 30 percent of China Lake’s annual energy load, helping to reduce costs by an estimated $13 million over the next 20 years, says SunPower.
According to SunPower, the power plant is the first federal agency project to be financed through a 20-year term solar power purchase agreement. The agreement requires no upfront capital or maintenance obligations from the Navy, matches conventional project financing terms for solar power facilities, and allows the Navy to secure electricity at up to 30 percent below the rate available through shorter duration 10-year power purchase agreements.
SunPower says it has installed more than 50 megawatts (MW) of solar power systems at government facilities. The systems the company has delivered to the Navy and U.S. Air Force alone generate enough electricity to power about 9,000 homes, the company boasts. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates, the Navy and Air Force systems will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by almost 732,000 tons over the next 20 years.
