There might be a debate in the political world about the value of solar energy and energy storage for the grid, businesses, and homeowners. But there doesn’t seem to be any disagreement in the military over the value of solar energy, both in the field and at bases in the U.S.
Solar and energy storage could increase security for thousands of troops across the country, and in the next decade the military could be a huge source of growth for the industry.
Where solar and energy storage provides value
According to a recent piece by Joshua Pearce, a professor at Michigan Tech University who also receives research funding from the DOE and military, there are three types of threats to energy the military is worried about at domestic bases: natural disasters, crime or terrorism, and cyber threats.
Since the military normally relies on the “civilian grid” for electricity, it’s susceptible to the same forces that have left millions of Americans without power over the last two months because of hurricanes. Attacks of some sort and cyber threats, which are a growing concern for grid operators, would be major concerns for the military by proxy.
Renewable energy installations or microgrids on military bases could help answer some of that challenge. SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) has built solar projects at the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California, and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. It even added a 1-megawatt (MW) energy storage system at Redstone Arsenal earlier this year to reduce peak power demand at the base. First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) recently supplied 120 MW of solar modules to a military base installation in Florida.
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