Hoisting their ceremonial scoops of soil May 14 afternoon at Gordon Lakes Golf Course, to mark progress in a project to install hundreds of solar panels at Fort Gordon, are, from left, Lt. Col. Tom Woodie, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Torre Jessup, ...
Richard Kidd, deputy assistant secretary of the Army (energy and sustainability) addresses Thursday's assembly to celebrate progress in a solar-power project involving Fort Gordon, Fort Benning and Fort Stewart. The local site is to be Gordon Lakes G...
FORT GORDON, Ga. (May 14, 2015) - A solar project groundbreaking ceremony was held at 1 p.m. on May 14 near Gordon Lakes Golf Course.
Fort Gordon, the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives, Georgia Power, and the General Services Administration are bringing a $75 million investment that will feature about 140,000 4-foot by 6-foot panels spanning more than 200 acres.
The project is part of the Army's plans to develop three 30-megawatt alternating current solar projects, collectively referred to as the Georgia 3x30 project.
Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Fogarty, U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon commanding general, said he is proud to be part of the Army's efforts to increase use of renewable energy.
"The (Georgia) 3x30 project is just one example of how the Army is strengthening energy security and sustainability at our installations by developing and executing cost effective, large scale renewable energy projects, levering private financing," Fogarty said.
The U.S. Army and Georgia Power will facilitate the project under a 35-year easement. Georgia Power will finance, design, install, own and operate Georgia 3x30, and the U.S. Army will purchase power through a GSA contract with Georgia Power.
Similar projects are planned for Fort Benning and Fort Stewart, both in Georgia. By the time all three projects are complete, Georgia 3x30 will produce approximately 18 percent of the energy the Army consumes in Georgia, said Torre J. Jessup, Southeast Sunbelt Region General Services Administration regional manager.
Power produced by the panels at Fort Gordon will go out to the grid, then on to Georgia Power customers on and off the installation.
"That is one of the beauties of the way we have been able to structure this partnership," Jessup said. "What you do here at Fort Gordon will have an impact across Georgia and around the world."
One of GSA's missions is to ensure maximum sustainability in everything it does while having minimal impact on the environment. Currently, the administration is working to achieve 30 percent clean power consumption by year 2020, which Jessup said it is currently on track to do.
Once Georgia 3x30 is fully up and running, energy costs will remain at or below what they are currently, meaning customers can be assured their rates will not go up.
"Every megawatt here that we're bringing online will be done without putting upper pressure on our customer's rates," said Kenneth Coleman, Georgia Power vice president of marketing.
And while solar panels are mostly known for providing cost effective, renewable energy, that energy isn't the only kind of power they will produce.
" The Army is looking at renewable energy as a portion of a broader initiative to build energy security and resiliency on our installations," said Richard G. Kidd, deputy assistant secretary of the Army (Energy and Sustainability).
Kidd described Fort Gordon as a "platform of power projection." In the long run, it will join others in becoming a more secure and reliant military installation due to having a sustainable infrastructure. At a time when the electric grid is increasingly threatened by people looking to destroy it, the first line of defense for the Army will be here at Fort Gordon.
"They are critical to the way we fight and win wars," Kidd said. "They are part of our national deterrence, and they are connected to the same grid that connects us to our homes."
"Here at Fort Gordon, this means that you will soon begin your second sentry of operations by laying the groundwork with total energy independence; a key to mission assurance," Jessup added.
Officials expect the project completed and ready to produce power by the end of 2016.
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