New solar pact with military offers potential

In another forward-leaning announcement on solar power in our state, Arizona Public Service announced this week it will partner with the Air Force to build a sun-powered generation plant.

The 15-megawatt photovoltaic power plant will be built at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix and be the largest solar facility on U.S. government property.

It will be constructed on 100 acres not being utilized by the base and will provide enough power for 50 percent of the base's needs, or enough for 3,750 homes.

A notable feature of the installation will be the use of a system that allows the solar generating panels to track the sun as it moves across the sky, greatly increasing the efficiency of power production.

It will be able to capture 25 percent more energy than traditional stationary systems, according to APS officials, using 52,000 high-efficiency solar panels. The more power that can be squeezed from the sun, the more cost-effective the system becomes.

In the overall scheme of power production by APS, the amount of power may seem small but the concept is an interesting one.

Military bases often have large amounts of land, including the ones right here in our community, and using some of that land for solar generating plants makes a lot of sense.

Air Force officials said the Luke plant will result in long-term savings for taxpayers due to stable energy costs and help increase the nation's energy independence.

There is a large amount of federal and state land in Arizona which is not utilized and could be potential sites for solar generation.

This could be another factor in increasing the momentum toward solar power in our state.