Solar is the second of four technologies being awarded under the US$7 billion Renewable and Alternative Energy Power Production for Department of Defense (DoD) Installations MATOC. The first, geothermal, was awarded in May, while the remaining technologies – wind and biomass – will be awarded on a staggered schedule by the end of 2013.
The MATOC will be used to procure reliable, locally generated, renewable and alternative energy for DoD installations through power purchase agreements (PPA). The US$7 billion capacity will be expended for PPAs to procure energy during a period of up to 30 years from renewable energy generation systems that are designed, financed, constructed, operated and maintained by contractors using private sector financing.
The contractors qualified through this process will be able to compete for future projects within their approved technology area for any renewable energy task order issued under the MATOC by the Army or DoD. The MATOC leverages the DoD authority to contract up to 30 years.
"The MATOC represents a major step forward in the procurement of renewable energy for the Army and the other services that will significantly reduce timelines by streamlining acquisition processes,” said John Lushetsky, executive director of the Army Energy Initiatives Task Force (EITF). “Utilizing the MATOC in this way will assist the EITF in meeting the Army's goal for one gigawatt renewable energy by 2025 as well as additional Congressional mandates.”
These contracts will place the Army one step closer to meeting its congressionally-mandated energy goal of 25 per cent production and consumption of energy from renewable sources by 2025 and improving installation energy security and sustainability.
"Awarding these contracts for solar technology is an important milestone in the process of awarding contracts for the four technologies selected to help the Army meet renewable energy goals," said Colonel Robert Ruch, commander, US Army Engineering and Support Center. "By pre-qualifying companies under each technology and awarding the contracts to them, we are situated to more quickly award task orders for individual future projects being developed by the Army or DoD. We look forward to working with the EITF and other potential DoD organizations to help implement renewable energy projects."
In April 2012, the DoD set a goal to deploy three gigawatts total of renewable energy – including solar, wind, biomass or geothermal – on Army, Navy and Air Force installations by 2025. The Army's goal is one gigawatt of that total.
The companies awarded contracts are:
- Acciona Energy North America Corporation, Chicago, Ill.
- Apex Wind Energy Holdings, LLC, Charlottesville, Va.
- Borrego Solar, San Diego, Calif.
- Cobra Industrial Services Inc, Houston, Texas
- Dominion Energy, Inc.; Richmond, Va.
- Element Power US, LLC, Portland, Ore.
- Emerald Infrastructure, San Antonio, Texas
- Enel Green Power North America, Andover, Mass.
- Energy Matters, LLC, Arlington, Va.
- Gehrlicher Solar America Corporation, Springfield, N.J.
- Johnson Controls Government Systems, Milwaukee, Wis.
- Lend Lease, Nashville, Tenn.
- LTC Federal, LLC, Detroit, Mich.
- New Generation Power, Chicago, Ill.
- NRG Energy Inc, Princeton, N.J.
- Photon Finance, LLC – SunPower, Mountain View, Calif.
- Siemens Government Technologies Inc, Arlington, Va.
- Silverado Power LLC, San Francisco, Calif.
- Solar Power Ventures, Arlington, Va.
- Standard Solar Inc, Rockville, Md.
- Sunpower Corporation, Richmond, Calif.
- Washington Gas Energy Systems Inc, McLean, Va.