Military Solar Projects Represent Win-Win for State

In July, PACE opined about a plan by Alabama Power to install as much as 500 megawatts of renewable energy – mostly solar power – across the state in the near future. The move by the state’s largest utility provider, which is part of an overall plan to deploy renewable projects without customer subsidy, drew bipartisan praise from a number of groups and elected officials statewide. PACE has supported projects of this type, including one in New Orleans, that represent a responsible approach for all customers.

Now, word comes that Alabama Power’s renewable energy initiative could help protect military bases in the state during the next round of military closures. According to reports, the Alabama Public Service Commission has approved the first two projects to be built under the plan, which will be housed at Fort Rucker and the Anniston Army Depot. The projects will help fulfill a commitment by the Department of Defense to obtain a quarter of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. Each of the two projects will produce about 10 megawatts of solar power.

The total cost of the projects will be just under $50 million, but the benefit to the facilities could be high in terms of ensuring their survival in future rounds of base closures. Fort Rucker houses the U.S. Army’s aviation training base and employs nearly 14,000 people. Anniston Army Depot employs more than 4,000 people. In addition to their national security significance, they are important economic development engines for their local communities.

“We want customers to understand that this project has broader benefits,” Alabama Power spokesman Michael Sznajderman told the Birmingham Business Journal. “We are working with the military to meet their goals, and they are important to the state, so it is important to us to help them. They have certain requirements they are trying to meet regarding renewable energy, and we have been having ongoing conversations with them and these are just the first projects out of the gate.”

Helping to solidify the future of important military bases – wherever they are – as part of a comprehensive renewable energy effort is clearly a good thing. The fact that these innovative projects will not affect the customer base at large makes this news even more of a win-win for all involved. Alabama’s regulators are to be commended for their swift approval of these projects, which add to the state’s growing portfolio of renewable energy projects without requiring money out of other customers’ pockets.