Solar PV System Breaks Ground at Vandenberg Air Base
David Wagman | May 23, 2017SunPower Corp. broke ground on a 28 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic system at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, Calif. It's anticipated to be one of the largest behind-the-meter solar power systems in the Air Force where 100% of the energy generated will be consumed onsite.
"A solar project that is grid-connected to the Base enables us to meet our electric demand with renewable energy and increase our energy security," says Ken Domako, Chief, Portfolio Optimization, Vandenberg Air Force Base.
(Read "How Does Solar Energy Work? PV Basics.")
The system will be installed on land that has gone unused since 2007, just outside the gates of Vandenberg where Air Force housing once stood. The base will buy energy generated by the plant under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The Air Force will retain all environmental credits associated with the system.
The system is expected to provide a projected 54,500 megawatt hours of energy annually, meeting about 35% of Vandenberg's total energy needs.
SunPower has designed and installed solar power systems, including a 13.2 MW and a 15 MW installation at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada – operating since 2007 and 2016 respectively – as well as a 13.78 MW installation at NAWS China Lake in California, operating since 2012.
