The Air Force has awarded a $7.3 million contract towards the construction of a one-megawatt solar power plant at Buckley AFB, Colo. The Denver Business Journal reported Tuesday that the US division of London-based AMEC received the contract to design the solar photovoltaic system for the base. According to the newspaper, AMEC intends to complete the project in just over a year. The Buckley initiative is just one of USAF’s solar energy projects. The service is erecting a three-megawatt solar farm at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, is promoting the creation of a solar energy system at Edwards AFB. Calif., and just recently began operation of a new 220-kilowatt solar plant at Hill AFB, Utah.
The Air Force cannot afford its three marquee air combat and mobility programs simultaneously, but should be given the resources to do so, Secretary Frank Kendall said.