Ft. Bliss Leads Army's Environmental Campaign

A 20-megawatt solar farm is planned for Fort Bliss in El Paso, a partnership with the local utility company. Fort Bliss plans by the end of 2018 to create all the energy it uses through a combination of solar, wind and geothermal power. This parabolic hot water array on base is another energy saver.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has authorized a partnership between Fort Bliss in El Paso, New Mexico, home to the 1st Armored Division, and El Paso Electric. It would represent the Army's largest renewable energy project at any installation.

While the agreement with El Paso Electric is not yet final, the plan is for a 20-megawatt solar farm to power the installation's headquarters building and much of East Fort Bliss. The base covers 1,700 square miles, reaching across the New Mexico border to include lands in western Texas.

Developing a model solar project at this installation would be a significant milestone in Fort Bliss' environmental campaign to be "net zero" by the end of 2018, meaning the base would create all the energy it uses through a combination of solar, wind and geothermal power, use water in the most efficient manner, turn waste into energy and put nothing into a landfill.

The U.S. Army has set a goal of using 25 percent renewable energy by 2025, and Fort Bliss aims to lead that effort.

Balfour Beatty Communities, the Fort Bliss private housing partner, recently announced it was teaming up with California-based SolarCity to put solar panels on 4,400 homes at Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range. Balfour Beatty reports the 500 new homes it is building at Fort Bliss will meet the highest energy-efficiency standards of the National Association of Home Builders.