May 4 2015
Ameresco, Inc.,, a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced today that the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, in coordination with the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives (OEI) and the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Detrick, awarded a contract to Ameresco for a 18.6 megawatt (MW) direct current (15.0 MW alternating current) renewable energy solar facility to be located at the Fort Detrick Army installation in Frederick, Maryland.
“Ameresco is very proud to be a renewable energy partner to the U.S. Army and Fort Detrick through this long-term partnership for solar energy,” said George P. Sakellaris, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ameresco. “This 18.6 megawatt solar project, once constructed, will be one of the single-largest solar facilities in the mid-Atlantic region and one of the largest in Maryland.”
Under the contract, Ameresco will build, own, operate and maintain the large-scale solar facility, and Fort Detrick will purchase the renewable electricity from Ameresco through a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Fort Detrick will have the economic benefit of purchasing the renewable electricity at or below current and projected utility rates. All electricity from the solar facility will be consumed by Fort Detrick.
Ameresco will begin construction on the project this summer and the solar facility is planned to be operational by March 2016. More than 60,000 solar panels will be installed throughout 67 acres of Area B at Fort Detrick. Once operational, the facility is designed to serve 12 percent of Fort Detrick’s total annual electric load requirements and is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19,000 metric tons annually.
“Ameresco applauds the Army Office of Energy Initiatives and Defense Logistics Agency Energy for their outstanding leadership in supporting this large-scale renewable energy project,” said Nicole A. Bulgarino, Vice President and General Manager, Federal Solutions, Ameresco. “We are proud to support the Army’s goal of deploying one gigawatt of renewable energy by 2025 through this partnership at Fort Detrick.”
Earlier this month, Ameresco participated in a groundbreaking ceremony at Fort Detrick alongside Army leaders and Federal and state officials. Participants included Major General Brian C. Lein, Commanding General, Fort Detrick; Christy Goldfuss, Managing Director, White House Council on Environmental Quality; U.S. Representative John Delaney, 6th Congressional District Maryland; John Conger, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment; Katherine G. Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy & Environment; George Atwood, Deputy Commander, Defense Logistics Agency Energy; and Amanda Simpson, Executive Director of the Army Office of Energy Initiatives.
Fort Detrick is a pilot net-zero installation with a goal of being net-zero energy by 2020. The new Ameresco solar facility is designed to be micro-grid compatible and will support the base in meeting its energy and sustainability goals.