DUGWAY PROVING GROUND. UT (March 12, 2015) --- The final design of a $7.7 million solar power array will be approved in the next month, with construction to begin shortly thereafter. The
25-acre solar array marks the first, major renewable energy project to be approved on Dugway Proving Ground (DPG).
TriEco-Tetra Tech Sustainable Resources Joint Venture of San Diego was awarded a $7,746,291 contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District. Local companies will do some of the work. Project completion is this fall.
The 2-megawatt solar photovoltaic array will cover 25-acres near the substation at English Village, DPG's housing and administration area. It will generate approximately 3,990 megawatt-hours of power annually, enough to power 540 homes, according to the Corps of Engineers.
Since 2010, Sean Svendsen, resource efficiency manager for DPG, has sought renewable power for the remote Army post in the Utah desert, developing a number of renewable energy and electrical infrastructure projects. Svendsen submitted the solar array project to the Installation Management Command (IMCOM) headquarters at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and the Energy Conservation Investment Program (ECIP). The solar array was approved in 2014 but not funded until the 2015 budget was approved.
Wind and geothermal power development are also being explored, Svendsen said.
Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) is DPG's primary source of electricity, though diesel generators cover unexpected power outages. Solar-generated electricity will ease Dugway's needs, but not replace the RMP line.
Dugway's demand for electricity is near the maximum of what RMP's lines can provide, without a major overhaul, according to the Corps of Engineers. Demand is particularly high during warm months when air conditioning is required and DPG's West Desert Test Center teems with tests, exercises and training.
TriEco-Tetra Tech is registered with the U.S. Small Business Administration, which sets aside certain contract bid opportunities exclusively for small businesses.
Dugway Proving Ground's primary mission is to test defenses -- detectors, protective clothing, decontaminators, etc. -- against chemical and biological agents. Its nearly 800,000 remote acres also provide vast areas for the testing of unmanned aircraft, and conventional training unrelated to its primary mission.
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