A solar project expected to generate 100% of the power needed at the Joint Force Training Base Los Alamitos has powered up and will also provide juice to nearby cities.
The completion of the nearly 100-acre project, developed by Arizona-based Bright Canyon Energy, was celebrated at the 1,300-acre Army base on Friday, Aug. 10. BCE, which partnered with local power utility companies, paid for the installation of the solar panels and will get a percentage of the revenue from selling the renewable energy to local communities.
The impetus for the solar project, officials said, is the base’s efforts at environmental sustainability and follows previous environmental initiatives, such as a program the base was recognized for in 2018 that prevents military aircraft from colliding with birds.
“The project increases energy resilience for the base and Southern California by adding locally generated carbon-free renewable electricity to the grid,” said Maj. Robert Woodson, a spokesman for the California Military Department, which includes the Army National Guard, Air National Guard and the State Guard. “During an emergency, it provides up to 14 days of power on the installation, which allows the base to continue operating as Southern California’s emergency response hub.”
If there were an earthquake and power outage, the solar farm would be able to provide the base with enough reserve power to fly in rescue teams, supplies, or anything else needed to address the emergency, officials said. The base has an 8,000-foot runway and is home to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services’s regional “crisis room.” The airfield is the only military runway between Point Mugu and Camp Pendleton.
The solar panels are staged along the western edge of the base. They are divided between two open areas – near a golf course that is to the east and along the edge on the Los Alamitos Boulevard side.
The project, which broke ground in May 2022, was a joint effort…
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