The completion of the 3.4MW solar installation on Edwards Air Force Base in California, US, marks Borrego Solar’s first military installation. It was financed through a 10-year PPA.
“This is the very first [military base solar project] funded through private sources,” said Jon Gensler, a project developer for Borrego. “We were able to make it work with a 10-year [power purchase agreement].”
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“For the military it’s fundamentally about energy security and removing themselves from the vulnerability caused by dependence on the grid,” Gensler said.
He said it would take about US$5 billion to get all of the bases to that level of energy independence.
“They recognize that is largely going to need to come from the private sector to meet that mandate,” Gensler said.
“That’s one of the drivers and it’s probably going to be one of the biggest drivers for growth over the next decade.”
Military contracts will likely contribute dramatically to Borrego’s future growth, he said. And the company is happy to have its first military project online.