Soaring Heights Solar
At Davis Monthan AFB, Lendlease, through its subsidiary Soaring Heights Communities, obtained third party financing through Solar City for the installation of 3.4 megawatts of ground mounted solar arrays and 2.7 megawatts of rooftop solar arrays, including over 80,000 solar array panels. This system was the largest residential solar community in the continental United States and has been featured on CNBC news.
Project outcome
Producing more than US$10 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, the system offsets 75 percent of the community's energy needs.
Similarly financed, the Holloman AFB solar development is comprised of over 600 solar photovoltaic rooftop arrays atop duplex and single-home residences, totaling approximately 3.1 megawatts of solar power. An average of twenty Kyocera and/or BenQ Crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels will be installed at each residence for a cumulative total of approximately 12,400 panels.
These solar developments are in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Executive Order 13423, whereas federal agencies must pursue renewable energy sources and whereas federal agencies' renewable electricity consumption is required to meet or exceed 7.5 percent by 2013 with at least half of all renewable energy required coming from new renewable sources.
The SHC solar developments will reduce energy consumption the Military-Family homes by 33 percent to 75 percent depending on the month and is in alignment with larger Department of Defense energy reduction goals of 20 percent by 2020.
Lendlease has a contract with the U.S. Air Force to manage, maintain and develop base housing for 50 years at the two bases.