Suniva announced that its Buy American-compliant Optimus solar panels are producing 1.9MW of energy at a capped landfill at the Fort Campbell military base in Kentucky.
The 1.9MW solar array, Powered by Suniva®, helped turn ten acres of retired landfill into a clean energy generating solar farm. Solar arrays atop capped landfills are an innovative way to provide power while leveraging brownfield sites.
Suniva commercial operations executive vice president Matt Card said: "Solar arrays such as this one at Fort Campbell serve as a two-fold solution: enhancing the foundation of the energy security for our nation’s military bases, while at the same time, providing a sustainable benefit on previously unusable waste land.
"Beyond this application for our military, Suniva’s products are an ideal fit for landfill reclamations such as this. Because of the strict environmental regulations of building on a landfill, the infrastructure costs are typically higher than average. The high power density of our modules helps reduce the overall racking footprint of these systems."
The project is a result of collaboration between Fort Campbell, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, and Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation.
Pennyrile Rural Electric and Fort Campbell worked with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet in securing a grant for $3,100,000 for this renewable project, and Pennyrile financed $1,900,000 as a part of a Utility Energy Services Contract with Fort Campbell to pay for this project.
Suniva worked with power management company Eaton, which provided engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) services as well as a range of electrical balance of system solutions for the first phase of the solar array at Fort Campbell.
Eaton Electrical Engineering Services and Systems Division, vice president and general manager John Stampfel said: "The solar project at Fort Campbell will help address the presidential mandate for federal agencies to meet 20 percent of their electricity needs through renewable energy sources by 2020.
"With our expert engineering resources, balance of systems solutions and project collaborators, including Suniva, Eaton is well positioned to help the U.S. Army achieve its net zero energy goal through the development of secure, domestic and renewable energy resources."
"Suniva’s Optimus power-dense solar panels can be found on many landfill reclamation projects, including its first array installed in North Carolina for Progress Energy.