14 DAY TRIAL // The United States Army has recently announced plans to fit a base in the state of Arizona with a massive solar array. It is said that, when up and running, this array will be the biggest that the country's Department of Defense has until now set in place on a military installation.
Information shared with the public says that the solar array is to be installed at Fort Huachuca in the state's Cochise County. Should things go according to plan, the United States Army will break ground on this installation this coming April 25.
It is estimated that, when it becomes operational, the solar array will roll out enough clean energy to meet an impressive 25% of the army base's overall power need. However, exact figures concerning the installation's output have not yet been released.
“This will be the largest solar array in the department of defense on a military installation,” Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations said in a statement.
“Energy is an installation priority. The project goes beyond the megawatts produced. It reflects our continued commitment to southern Arizona and energy security,” added Major General Robert Ashley, Fort Huachuca's current commanding general.
It is expected that construction work on this massive solar array will come to an end later this year. What's more, the United States Department of Defense believes that the solar array will become operational before next year.
Interestingly enough, the solar array will not only provide part of the energy needed to carry out daily routine operations at the army base, but will also serve to support some missions. As Major General Robert Ashley put it, “The project will provide reliable access to electricity for daily operations and missions moving forward.”
According to EcoWatch, the United States Army Energy Initiatives Task Force, the General Services Administration, and Fort Huachuca will all work closely with Tucson Electric Power and E.ON Climate and Renewables on this initiative. Thus, E.ON is to design, engineer, and build the array, whereas Tucson Electric Power will deal with funding and maintaining.
In case anyone was wondering, the United States Department of Defense's largest solar array is currently the one up and running at the Davis-Monthan Air Force base, which is also located in Arizona.
The Davis-Monthan Air Force base sits at a distance of about 70 miles (approximately 112.5 kilometers) north of Fort Huachuca, and the solar array that this facility presently accommodates for has been up and running for two months now.