A capped landfill at the Fort Campbell military base in Kentucky added 1.9-MW solar array, powered by Suniva, which helped turn 10 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. Here are some tips for approaching such a project.
“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,” said Matt Card, executive vice president of commercial operations. “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 $3.1 million for this renewable project, and Pennyrile financed $1.9 million 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.
“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,” said John Stampfel, vice president and general manager, Electrical Engineering Services and Systems Division, Eaton. “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.”
— Solar Builder magazine
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