One of the largest renewable energy projects in Kansas, the solar installations will power 40% of Fort Riley’s needs.
The U.S. Army is powering 40% of Fort Riley’s electric needs with the competition of its onsite solar project. Located in Kansas, the 4.23 MW phase brought the fort’s total installed solar capacity to more than 16 MW, one of the largest renewable energy projects in the state.
Fort Riley’s solar project includes both rooftop installations on more than 1,600 homes on the base, which were completed during the project’s first two phases in 2018 and 2021, and ground-mounted solar arrays, completed in the third phase this year.
Corvias, the project developer, is a solar installer headquartered in Rhode Island. Corvias has been a partner for 20 years to the U.S. Military under the Department of Defense’s Military Housing Privatization Initiative program. Onyx Renewables, which is headquartered in New York City, joined Corvias in the project’s third phase.
The project’s third phase was initially planned to be the final phase, but Onyx Renewables told pv magazine USA, they are evaluating an additional phase, but it is still early in development and diligence.
The Army’s Fort Riley installations, which did not qualify for a domestic content bonus, Onyx said, use fixed-tilt racking systems and SMA inverters on its ground-mount installations. Of the project’s 16.6 total capacity, the Army can earn 300 GWh in total renewable energy credits (RECs), according to Corvias.
The Fort Riley solar project is part of the Army’s transition to use 100% carbon pollution-free electricity at all its installations by 2030. The goal is part of an executive order signed by the previous administration in 2021, which stated, “The federal government shall use its scale and procurement power to achieve 100% carbon pollution-free electricity on a net annual basis by 2030, including 50% 24/7 carbon pollution-free electricity.” The U.S. government is the largest energy consumer in the U.S.
(See also: New installation projects for U.S. Army, New York community solar)
To complete the latest Fort Riley installations, Onyx partnered with Power Factor, a subcontractor that employs veterans and prioritizes hiring former service members. Through the Department of Energy’s Solar Ready Vets program and employment initiatives such as USO Pathfinder, Onyx said the development team was able to provide well-paying clean energy jobs to former military service members.
The Army also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from all Army buildings by 2032, compared to a 2005 baseline. Light-duty non-tactical vehicles would be electric vehicles by 2027, and all non-tactical vehicles would be EVs by 2035. According to the Department of Defense (DoD), natural disasters and extreme weather events caused by climate change has caused $13 billion in damages to DoD bases.
Corvias partners with the Department of Defense and higher education institutions to solve infrastructure and energy resiliency challenges and to create long-term, sustainable value. Corvias’ industry-first Solutions Through Partnerships approach is built on a shared commitment to assisting the Department of Defense in sustaining the critical mission of each U.S. military installation by supporting readiness.
