“Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…”
– The Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun”
Today the U.S. Army announced details of what it believes will be the U.S. Department of Defense’s largest solar enery project: a 500-megawatt solar power installation at the Fort Irwin base in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. The installation will use both photovoltaic cells and solar concentrators (which will make heat to boil water to drive electrical generators). The Clark Energy Group and Acciona Solar Power will be performing the installation. A typical power plant using coal or natural gas produces 600-800 megawatts.
The Fort Irwin installation could ultimately supply 1250 gigawatt hours, which is equivalent to the power comsumption of over 100,000 average homes in the U.S. The project is part of the Army’s plan to make the energy supplies of military installations more secure. (To me, this plan means that the Army is very aware of the vulnerabilities of the U.S. energy grid and is looking for its own kind of “energy independence.” 
Maybe we individual citizens should, too!) (Note added September 6, 2009: Actually, the high electrical output and the clear air of the Mojave made me think of another explanation as well, yesterday.)
The Army did not state how much the Fort Irwin project will cost (that’s OK, we know who will pay for it), but the Army is spending over $1 billion on energy projects, including almost $700 million in stimulus funds.
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
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