Army Corps Pens Deal for Largest Solar Project in Defense Department History

The Army Corps of Engineers selected the Clark Energy Group to develop the largest solar power project in Department of Defense history at Fort Irwin, CA.

Acciona Solar Power will team with Clark to construct and manage the Fort Irwin Energy Solar Energy EUL project. The Enhanced Use Learning program is administered by the Corps' Baltimore District.

The Corps calls the pilot project a "flexible, phased, multi-technology approach" to delivering 1,000 megawatts of power generation while "advancing the transformation of Forth Irwin's overall energy security. The proposed development eventually will include more than 500 MW of solar power that will produce 1,250 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy per year at Fort Irwin facilities.

Clark-Acciona will develop photovoltaic and concentrated solar thermal technologies at an industrial scale there, the Corps says. Their plan features a phased implementation framework that accounts for site characteristics, constraints, available resources, current and future technologies, cost, access to transmission lines, and length of approval and connection processes at each stage of construction.

Once operational it will be the largest solar generating plant in California.

According to the Corps, the EUL program "works to leverage the power of private capital and expertise to fund installation maintenance and operation costs in exchange for long-term leases of Army land."

"The Army is aggressively exploring opportunities such as this to leverage renewable energy alternatives and improve our energy security posture, in close partnership with other government agencies and the private sector," said Jerry Hansen, Army Senior Energy Executive.

The pilot project is an initiative of the Secretary of the Army's Senior Energy Council, which coordinates and promotes energy security and policy for the Army.

Clark Energy, based in Arlington, VA, is an affiliate company of Clark Enterprises, which also includes Clark Realty Capital and Clark Construction Group. Clark Energy recently received a $5 billion Super Energy Savings Contract from the Department of Energy.

Acciona Solar Power, based in Henderson, NV, is a wholly owned subisidiary of of Spain's Acciona Energia, which is headquartered in Madrid.