US Army invests in 1MW energy storage system at military post in Alabama

By Conor Ryan
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email
With the addition of the energy storage system, the project is expected to bolster energy security and resilience at Redstone Arsenal while also helping the base become more energy independent. Image: Whitney Gal / Flickr

PV energy provider SunPower announced Wednesday that it has broken ground on a 10MW PV project at the Redstone Arsenal US Army post in Alabama that will also feature a 1MW energy storage system.

With the addition of the energy storage system, the project is expected to bolster energy security and resilience at Redstone Arsenal while also helping the base become more energy independent.

Col. Thomas Holliday, garrison commander at Redstone Arsenal, said: “This project reinforces the Army’s commitment to advancing adoption of reliable, cost-effective, home-grown renewable energy at Redstone Arsenal. We’re continually looking for ways to grow our capability and reduce our cost to provide the nation with a more efficient defense.”

Developed by the US Army Office of Energy Initiatives, Redstone Arsenal’s Directorate of Public Works, and the US Army Corps of Engineers Huntsville Center’s Energy Division, the project was financed by a power purchase agreement — allowing the Army to buy 100% of the energy generated by the installation.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

SunPower designed and is currently installing a SunPower Oasis Power Plant system at the site — which is a fully-integrated, modular solar power block engineered and built for compatibility with a future micro-grid.

Nam Nguyen, SunPower executive vice president, said: “Solar is cost-competitive with traditional energy sources today, and is helping the U.S. military reduce operational costs. We commend Redstone Arsenal for managing its significant energy demand with abundant, renewable solar power. The high performance solar and storage technology we are installing for the agency will substantially increase the value of energy produced by the solar plant over the long term.”

The project follows a couple of other recent off-grid or microgrid system announcements by defence forces. Also in the US, in late July Go Electric was awarded a contract for a 1MW / 1MWh battery energy storage system for an ammunitions depot in Utah, while work began in August on a 2MW solar-plus-storage microgrid for Australia’s navy.

Read Next

Premium
August 28, 2025
Energy-Storage.news Premium speaks with Sergio Melendez, storage sector manager at CAISO, and Ali Karimian, market optimisation director at GridBeyond, about regulating Bid Cost Recovery Payments in the California Independent System Operator market.
August 28, 2025
California utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has pushed back recommissioning of the Elkhorn battery energy storage system (BESS) by approximately one year, to 30 June 2026.
August 27, 2025
Three companies, Pacifico Energy, Zenith Volts, and Fermi America have begun expanding power generation and energy storage capabilities for US data centre development.
August 26, 2025
Governor of New Jersey, US, Phil Murphy, signed legislation into law to reach 2,000MW of energy storage capacity by 2030, and nearly doubling the state’s clean energy capacity.
August 25, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Fullmark Energy has announced the commercial operation of its 20MW/40MWh Ortega energy storage project in Lake Elsinore, California, US.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter