WASHINGTON– The Army and American Electric Power (AEP)/Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) are working to develop a large-scale renewable energy project at Fort Sill, OK. The project will include a 10.9 MW solar array that will provide carbon free electricity onto the grid, powering the local Lawton community as well as Fort Sill. The Army is leasing 66 acres of land to PSO for the development of the solar project. PSO will construct, own, operate and maintain the system for a 35-year period. This win-win project will increase energy resilience for both Fort Sill and the surrounding community by adding locally generated renewable energy and capacity to the grid.
Under the terms of this innovative agreement, the Army will be able to install a future microgrid to connect the solar array directly to Fort Sill’s mission critical systems. Once installed, this microgrid capability will allow Fort Sill to use the solar generated electricity to power mission critical systems in the case of a grid outage.
“Energy resilience is a top priority for the Army and is key to transforming the force into the Army of the future. This project accomplishes several key goals. It increases base resilience, it supports the local community, and its carbon free generation fulfills the commitment we made in our Army Climate Strategy to achieve energy resilience while reducing our greenhouse gas emissions” said Rachel Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. “An islandable energy generation system is critical to providing reliable, clean renewable power to increase energy resilience at Fort Sill while at the same time powering the local grid.”
The Army will continue to explore opportunities at Fort Sill to increase renewable generation and carbon free electricity to power Fort Sill’s critical missions and the local Lawton community.
This project is an example of the Army’s commitment to building a microgrid on every installation by 2035. It also demonstrates the Army’s commitment to collaborate with industry, utilities, local communities, and other stakeholders to increase energy and grid resilience.
Fort Sill is home to the Fires Center for Excellence and deployable Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery Brigades. All field artillery Soldiers and Marines receive training at Fort Sill and training often includes energy intensive simulation equipment.
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