USACE takes a shine to solar energy

HENDERSON, Nev., Oct. 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the selection of a team of ACCIONA Solar Power and Clark Energy Group to build its largest solar energy project.

The Department of the Army signed a memorandum of understanding with a joint venture formed by ACCIONA and Clark at the Fort Irwin military complex in the Mojave Desert in California.

A mandate by the U.S. government requires the Army to reduce its energy consumption rate by 30 percent by 2015 and use renewable energy to cover 25 percent of its energy needs by 2025 based on 2003 levels.

The joint venture will over a multi-phased project develop plans for 500 MW of solar power at Fort Irwin, with plans to increase that level to 1,000 MW later, the U.S. Army said.

Its largest current solar plant generates 14 MW at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. A 2 MW facility operates at Fort Carson in Colorado.

The U.S. Army said construction is tiered over several phases, though Fort Irwin should be able to meet its energy needs using solar energy by 2014.

"The Fort Irwin solar power project is an example of how the U.S. Army can lead the nation forward towards a future of energy security," said Kevin Geiss, energy security program director for the U.S. Army.