How floating solar panels will provide energy to Fort Bragg Special Forces training site
CAMP MACKALL — The largest floating solar plant in the Southeast was revealed Friday at Camp Mackall.
Camp Mackall is a Special Forces training site overseen by Fort Bragg.
The 1.1-megawatt floating solar system is located on about 2.5 surface acres of Camp Mackall’s Big Muddy Lake.
“This is the first solar array in all of the Department of Defense, which says a lot, because I can tell you there’s healthy competition among the services for being first in innovative technologies,” said Rachel Jacobson, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment.
The project, which is a collaboration between Fort Bragg, Duke Energy and Ameresco, is in line with the Army’s recently released climate strategy that moved toward energy resilient installations, Jacobson said.
“Why did we do this — energy and climate directly relate to mission and readiness,” she said. “Losing training time due to power outages resulting from severe storms is simply unacceptable.”
How solar panels will be used
Audrey Oxendine, chief of Fort Bragg’s energy and utilities branch, said the floating solar panels “puts power on the grid” during clear weather days, meaning Fort Bragg will be purchasing less electricity.
During storms that result in power outages, the panels would be the main power sources for Camp Mackall, Oxendine said.
Previous reporting: Largest floating solar plant in Southeast to come to Fayetteville area
Col. Scott Pence, Fort Bragg garrison commander, said that Camp Mackall and its facilities serve special operations forces, and Camp Mackall’s airfield is an alternate field for the 82nd Airborne Divison to use when Pope Army Airfield is not available.
He estimated that the solar panels could result in about $100,000 of annual energy savings.
Brian Savoy, chief commercial officer for Duke Energy, said the 1.1-megawatt solar panels produce enough energy that could serve 735 homes.
The solar panels are expected to last between 35 to 40 years, he said.
Savoy said it is a step toward cleaner carbon-free energy.
“Sometimes our government leads the way on how we should think about energy and resiliency, and Fort Bragg is really a model,” he said.
Protecting the environment
Nicole Bulgarino, executive vice president at Ameresco, said because the panels are on water, no trees were cut, and land wasn't disturbed for the project.
Jacobson said placing it on water also means the habitat of the red-cockaded woodpecker is preserved.
If it were built on land, it would have taken up about 8 acres that can be better utilized for training, Jacobson said.
The cooler temperatures of the water also mean more energy will be produced, Bulgarino said.
The equipment adjusts to rising or decreasing water levels and means officials won’t have to worry about it being in a flood plain, Bulgarino said.
Savoy said docks are reinforced and engineered to withstand strong winds.
More projects
Pence said the solar panel project is one of five initiatives from a 2020 utility services contract that will result in $36 million of investments over a 19-year period.
Other projects in the contract include replacing diesel with natural gas heating for about $270,000 in annual savings, using energy-efficient lighting for $500,000 in annual savings, and using a high efficient water system for toilets and sinks to save $1.2 annually.
The contract includes infrastructure modernization with lighting and water upgrades, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning and boiler system improvements and placing high-efficiency dehumidifying systems in barracks and work spaces to prevent mold growth.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fort Bragg training site first in DOD to get floating solar panels
