Colorado Springs Utilities (Springs Utilities) and SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB) announced an agreement to design and build a 6-megawatts (MW) solar photovoltaic power system at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Construction will begin this month on the 30-acre site, and the plant is expected to be operational by summer 2011.
The project is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), as a result of government requirements for federal facilities to use increasing amounts of renewable energy. SunPower and Springs Utilities will each own 50% of the renewable energy credits (RECs) and environmental benefits associated with the system.
"The 30-acre, 6-megawatt system at this site, where Air Force cadets and officers alike engage in thousands of training flights each year, will be a testament to the fact that solar power provides a secure, independent power source in the U.S.," said Jim Pape, president of SunPower’s residential and commercial business group.
SunPower has worked with federal agencies since 1999, and has more than 50 MW of solar power systems installed or under contract at government facilities, including systems at Nellis Air Force Base and the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Last week SunPower announced an agreement with Iberdrola Renewables (IBR.MC) for a 30-megawatts (MW) photovoltaic solar power plant on 216 acres of private, former agricultural land in Colorado’s Alamosa County.
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