PHOENIX (AP) — Luke Air Force Base is expected to get power for a majority of the base through a massive solar project by 2011.
The base's array of solar panels would be among the nation's largest and have the capacity to run appliances in 4,250 homes at once in direct sunlight.
If it were built today, the 17-megawatt solar project would increase by about 50 percent the amount of solar power on the Arizona Public Service Co. grid.
The project's final details haven't been announced, but the price tag for a solar plant of that size would be $68 million or more, based on industry averages.
This and other projects reflect the Pentagon's push to reduce the military's costly dependence on fossil fuels and combat global warming.
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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
