Skyline Solar, a manufacturer of High Gain Solar (HGS) arrays for the commercial, industrial, government and utility markets, announced that the company has been awarded a project by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for the deployment of HGS systems at two domestic military bases. The object of the project is to demonstrate Skyline Solar’s HGS performance in hot and sunny climates, and validate its field upgradability and rapid system deployment capability. The estimated combined output for the projects is 436 megawatt hours per year.
During a recent Energy Security Forum speech, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the need for the military to take a serious look at renewable energy from an energy security standpoint. “Failing to secure, develop and employ new sources of energy or improving how we use legacy-energy systems creates a strategic vulnerability and, if left unaddressed, could threaten national security.”
In an effort to promote U.S. energy independence, the DoD launched the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) to promote innovative, cost-effective environmental technologies through demonstrations on DoD sites. Skyline Solar has been awarded an ESTCP project in a competitive solicitation intended to identify technologies that solve key DoD needs and have the highest potential for widespread deployment.
“The ESTCP is a terrific program that encourages the adoption of renewable energy by the Department of Defense in order to bolster national security and accelerate energy independence,” said Thomas Rohrs, CEO of Skyline Solar. “The competitive bid process and the resulting DoD contract validate Skyline Solar’s ability to deliver proven performance, upgradability and rapid scale. The projects on U.S. bases will demonstrate the unique effectiveness of Skyline’s HGS technology in helping to meet the energy needs of our military and government institutions.”
The ESTCP project by the DoD is the most recent example of Skyline Solar winning in competitive solicitations for its innovation in delivering cost-effective, renewable energy at scale. Recently, Skyline Solar was one of the first companies to be awarded two patents through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Green Technology Pilot Program, a 2010 federal initiative to speed up the patent process for crucial green innovations. In 2008, the company won a highly competitive PV Incubator sub-contract from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) through the Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP; formerly, the Solar America Initiative). The federally-funded program accelerated promising technology into pilot production and recognized Skyline Solar for developing a technology that “could make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity.”