The Army Builds Its Largest-Ever Solar Project in Southern Arizona

By Balazs Szekely, Associate Editor

Development of a solar array in southeast Arizona is about to start, according to a written announcement recently released by the U. S. Army. The plant is designed to meet about 25 percent of the annual installation electricity requirement of Fort Huachuca, one of the United States Army’s busiest transient installations.

Located in Sierra Vista in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. Its major tenants are the United States Army Network Enterprise Technology Command and the United States Army Intelligence Center. Army Military Auxiliary Radio System is also headquartered in Fort Huachuca.

In line with the Fort Huachuca Renewable Energy Project, the U.S. Army’s Energy Initiatives Task Force is also developing projects in New York, California, Alabama, Hawaii and Maryland that are all part of the Army’s commitment to the President for the production of one gigawatt of renewable electricity by 2025. The Fort Huachuca Renewable Energy Project is the result of Fort Huachuca’s collaboration with the U.S. Army Energy Initiatives Task Force, The General Services Administration, Tucson Electric Power and E.ON Climate and Renewables, the developer of the project. Tucson Electric Power will fund, own, maintain and operate the project, and contract with E.ON for the design, engineering, procurement and construction.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for April 25 and the facility is expected to begin operation by late 2014.

Illustration courtesy of Fernando Tomás via Wikimedia Commons