WASHINGTON -- The Department of the Navy and Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, broke ground today on a large-scale solar facility at Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) Albany in Georgia.

Expected to be one of the largest solar facilities in the state, the facility will have a production capacity of up to 44 megawatts (MW) of direct current power (31 MW alternating current). The facility will cover 150 acres of land with 138,000 solar panels, which will be able to power the equivalent of up to 5,000 homes.

Georgia Power will build, own, operate and maintain the solar facility at MCLB Albany, which will generate electricity for its electric grid. The utility company anticipates the solar facility to be online and producing power within a year.

Notable groundbreaking ceremony presenters and attendees included the Honorable Dennis V. McGinn, assistant secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations & Environment; Lt. Gen. Michael G. Dana, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps, Installations and Logistics; Col. James C. Carroll III, commanding officer, MCLB Albany; Kenneth E. Coleman, senior vice president of Marketing, Georgia Power; and Georgia Public Service Commissioner Vice-Chair Lauren “Bubba” McDonald Jr.

“This project, our second collaboration with Georgia Power, will help to enhance the energy security of MCLB Albany,” said McGinn. “It is these partnerships that have yielded such high value for the Department of the Navy, our installations and the surrounding communities. As we begin to tighten our focus on energy resiliency, these projects will be the foundation of energy security on our bases.”

"This project will generate solar energy as part of a diverse generation mix, while providing security for the base and a positive economic impact in the local community," said Coleman. "The projects we are developing on our state's military bases are great examples of renewable energy growth being driven by collaboration and innovative partnerships."

 “The Marine Corps is known for implementing our Energy Ethos vision within our ranks. We know that making efficient use of our energy resources is critical to our mission readiness. This solar facility extends that ethos to energy resiliency,” said Dana. “We are excited for this and other energy projects on base aimed at making the installation more resilient.”

 “At MCLB Albany, we are fortunate to be collaborating with this group of military and private entities,” said Carroll. “We have all been working together toward the same goal – to provide an unprecedented capacity for continuity of operations furthering grid stability.”

The Marine Corps and the Navy have been leaders in energy innovation, and deployment of renewable energy on DON installations continues to strengthen the DON’s warfighting capabilities. The next step for the DON will be exploring the next level of energy technology advances such as battery storage, electrification, fuel cells and microgrids to further enhance the DON's energy security, operational capability, strategic flexibility and resource availability.