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The Army executed a 30-year lease with Bright Canyon Energy (BCE) for a privately funded, owned and operated energy resilience project on approximately 100 acres at Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos (JFTB-LA), CA. Construction is expected to begin this summer.
The project will provide power to JFTB-LA critical missions for at least 14 days in the event of a grid emergency and also benefit the local community. The project is a collaboration among the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives, JFTB-LA, California National Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and BCE, and will generate 26 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaics, and include a 20MW/40 MWh battery energy storage system, and 3 MW of backup generators.
“Joint Forces Training Base serves as the primary emergency management hub for the California National Guard in Southern California in support of a population base of approximately 18 million people,” said JFTB Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Manju Vig, “The Guard’s ability to execute this critical mission is predicated on our access to on-site renewable generation that this project provides us to support large-scale emergency response operations.”
The project will increase energy resilience for both JFTB-LA and the surrounding community by adding locally generated renewable energy and capacity to the grid. Moreover, it will allow JFTB-LA to provide emergency response support to first responders during natural or man-made disasters. During normal grid conditions, BCE will sell the energy and capacity generated by the project to San Diego Gas & Electric Company.
“Energy resilience is key to transforming the force into the Army of the future. This project ensures carbon free electricity in southern California, supporting the Army’s efforts to increase reliance on clean energy while reducing our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Rachel Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. “When we increase energy resilience while powering the local grid, it is a winning solution across the board.”
This project is an example of the Army’s commitment to building a microgrid on every installation by 2035, in accordance with the Army Climate Strategy, and is another example of the Army’s ongoing collaboration with industry, utilities, and local communities, and other stakeholders to increase energy resilience.
