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.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

  • 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

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.

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.

17 June 2025
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 17-18 June 2025, will be our fourth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2026 and beyond.
1 July 2025
London, UK
UK Solar Summit 2025 will look at the role solar currently plays in the energy mix, how this will change over the coming years and how this aligns with net-zero and other government targets. We will break down all these challenges and help build up solutions through discursive panels, motivational keynotes and case studies, with newly added interactive sessions to get you moving and meeting your peers, making the connections you need to boost your business.

Read Next

May 21, 2025
Installed battery storage capacity in California, US has grown from 771MW in 2019 to more than 15,500MW as of 31 January, 2025.
Premium
May 21, 2025
ESN Premium speaks with Dr. Yinghuang Ji, head of structuring at MN8 Energy, on current challenges and opportunities for growth in the energy storage market.
Premium
May 20, 2025
ESN Premium speaks with Chloe Hicks of EnergyCo about New South Wales’ Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) and its hopes for energy storage.
May 19, 2025
Engie North America has partnered with CBRE Investment Management (CBRE IM) on a 2.4GW battery energy storage system (BESS) portfolio in Texas and California, US.
May 19, 2025
Elements Green has received grid connection approval from Powerlink Queensland and the AEMO for a 1.3GWh solar-plus-BESS site in Queensland.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter