Cannon Air Force Base (AFB) and the Defense Logistics Agency Energy have awarded a $19 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) project to Ameresco Inc. that includes 1.9 MW of solar capacity, smart controls and other conservation technologies.
The project, which is designed by Ameresco, will provide improvements to the New Mexico facility and enable recurring reductions in utility costs while converting 4% of Cannon’s electric energy usage to onsite renewable resources. Planned improvements for the Air Force base include upgrades to existing transformers, direct digital controls (DDC), and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, as well as a 1.9 MW ground mount solar photovoltaic (PV) array and LED lighting retrofits to enhance Air Commando Mission night training.
As a result of these upgrades, Cannon Air Force Base will save approximately $1.1 million in the first year alone and $33 million over the course of the performance period.
Construction is set to begin in the third quarter and reach completion by early 2023.