Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Solar panels at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., collect sunlight. The Davis-Monthan solar array project, on 170 acres of underutilized land, makes it the largest of its kind on any Defnese Department installation. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Sarah Ruckriegle)Solar Array Ribbon Cutting
                        
                        
                        Solar panels at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., collect sunlight. The Davis-Monthan solar array project, on 170 acres of underutilized land, makes it the largest of its kind on any Defnese Department installation. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Sarah Ruckriegle)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

AF's largest solar array celebrates first anniversaryPublished Dec. 18, 2014
                    
                    By Kevin Elliott
                    
                    
                    Air Force Civil Engineer Center Public Affairs
            **TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --**December 2014 marks the one-year anniversary of the Air Force's largest operational solar array, located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.The 16.4-megawatt solar farm, built under a 25-year power purchase agreement, was a joint effort between the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Davis-Monthan AFB, SunEdison, LLC and Tucson Electric Power (TEP).The array is exceeding expectations."We expected the array to provide 35 percent of our total power needs," said Lt. Col. Brian Stumpe, the 355th Civil Engineer Squadron commander. "However, our calculations show it is providing well over 40 percent of our total need, and over 100 percent of our daytime energy usage. This amounts to a $500,000 per year savings for Davis-Monthan and the Air Force."In its first 10 months, the array produced 33,083,404 kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to power over 3,600 homes. The base, before constructing the array, paid 8.6 cents per kwh for electricity. Under the power purchase agreement, the rate for the power supplied from the solar array is 4.5 cents per kwh, with an annual increase of 1.5 percent."We are very pleased with the performance of the Davis-Monthan array," said Frederick Cade, the renewable energy program manager at AFCEC. "Projects like this go a long way toward meeting Air Force energy goals, and can serve as a model for other installations."Renewable energy projects like the Davis-Monthan array are part of the Air Force's overall strategy to provide energy resiliency, reliability and security, as well as cost savings. Power systems located on secure installations deliver necessary predictability, and dollar savings free up resources that can be reallocated to other mission priorities."For a minimal investment in manpower, projects like this provide substantial savings," Stumpe said. "Since we don't own the project, our civil engineers are freed up to focus on the core mission of operating and sustaining the air base and generating air power."The Davis-Monthan array also benefits the base's local utility, TEP, said Timothy Davis, the senior director of customer solutions and business development at TEP."The Arizona Corporation Commission has implemented the Renewable Energy Standard that requires utilities to increase their production of renewable energy," Davis said. "TEP had a goal of four percent. The Davis-Monthan array has helped us exceed that goal."The Air Force continues to expand its renewable energy program. Currently, two solar arrays are in the works, a 19-megawatt expansion of an existing 14.7-megawatt array under construction at Nellis AFB, Nevada, and a 20-megawatt solar farm in the proposal phase at Vandenberg AFB, California. Each are larger than the Davis-Monthan array."The Air Force has a goal that every base will implement some sort of renewable energy generation," Stumpe said. "This array has exceeded our goal by 36 percent, which contributes to overall Air Force energy savings. We're proud of our work here."solar array 



Air Force 



solar power 



Davis-Monthan Air Force Base 



Florida 



Air Force Civil Engineer Center 



AFCEC 



anniversary Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil