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Siemens awarded 4.4 MW PV contract by US Army

Siemens Government Technologies, Inc. has been awarded a US$16.8 million contract by the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center to carry out energy conserving upgrades. These will include the installation of a 4.4 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic system.

The photovoltaic plant will be installed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Flickr/dsearls

According to a statement released by Siemens, when complete, the project will be the largest of its kind to be installed for the U.S. Army. It will be located at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

A spokesperson for the company told pv magazine that it will supply the photovoltaic panels and necessary equipment. Meanwhile, "detailed" design and grading work have already begun. Overall, the project is expected to be completed by April or May.

The statement added that the photovoltaic system will comprise the main element of Siemens' energy savings performance contract (ESPC). Its installation is expected to provide the Army with 10,000 solar renewable energy credits annually, and will allow it to qualify for a 30 percent federal cash grant in excess of $4.8 million.

"According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the solar PV system will help White Sands Missile Range achieve 10.8 percent renewable energy by the end of 2012, up from .5 percent and beating the 2013 government mandate by more than three percentage points," said the statement.