Independent Power Producer (IPP) and developer Coronal Energy has completed 120MW(AC) of solar PV for the US Department of Defense.

The Gulf Coast Solar Center is split across three Air Force and Navy sites in Florida with utility Gulf Power the off-taker. The sites use around 1.5 million First Solar modules.

“Considering the scale of the Gulf Coast Solar Center portfolio, collaboration between our team and the like-minded teams at the US Air Force, US Navy, and Gulf Power has been an essential element of our success in developing these projects,” said Jonathan Jaffrey, chairman and CEO, Coronal Energy. “The result is a landmark energy project that represents what is possible when our nation’s military and its leading energy companies like Gulf Power commit to renewables. We are honoured to take our place alongside these partners for this historic project.”

The three systems cover more than 380 hectares of DoD land in blocks of 50MW at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola’s Navy Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Saufley, 40MW at NAS Whiting Field’s NOLF Holley and 30MW at the Elgin Air Force base.

“Adding clean, affordable energy to our energy grid through the innovative public-private partnership that enabled the completion of all three of the portfolio’s solar facilities is a proud accomplishment for Gulf Power, and a significant milestone for the local economy, our customers and the environment,” said Stan Connally, chairman, president and CEO, Gulf Power.

Panasonic is a major investor in Coronal Energy, which has developed 2.3GW of solar with another 3.4GW of greenfield and brownfield sites in its development pipeline.