DoD Recruits Solar Firm to Test Emerging Technology

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Photovoltaic startup Skyline Solar announced was awarded a $1.58 million contract to install two solar power systems for the U.S. Department of Defense as part of the agency’s program to test new energy technologies.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based firm will experiment with moving and redeploying the two systems, which will generate 450-megawatt hours of electricity each year. They will be installed at Edwards Air Force Base in California and at Fort Bliss in Texas.

The DoD tests new energy technologies through its Environmental Security Technology Certification Program in order to determine which technologies reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, conserve water and improve energy security. The program also tests building energy management systems, LED lighting and waste-to-energy projects.

The agency operates 300,000 buildings and spends $4 billion a year on energy, making it the country’s largest energy consumer.

Skyline produces metal-paneled, dual-trough tracking solar systems that it claims produce 30 percent more energy, are faster to assemble and result in less environmental degradation than the systems in common use today.

A Defense Department spokesperson said in a statement that Skyline’s technology may prove to be cheaper, require less infrastructure demands and be easier to relocate than traditional solar energy installations.