MEETING THE DOD’S 20% RENEWABLES GOAL & SECURING THE NATION’S CRITICAL CYBER & ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURES
The Department of Defense (DoD) is making great strides towards its goals of meeting at least 20% of energy demand with renewable energy resources by 2020. But between the Army MATOC program, DLA and Navy acquisitions, over $7B in investments is needed in the near-term to supply renewable energy to the DoD and this opportunity can ultimately amount to tens of billions in private investment. Energy security initiatives have led to large off-base utility-scale wind and solar projects with utilities for the benefit of increased grid and base resiliency, a prime example being the historic 210 (MW) Mesquite Solar 3 project by the Department of the Navy (DON) in partnership with Sempra and WAPA. Developments such as Fort Hood’s large-scale, microgrid-capable solar & wind project is enabling the DoD to meet its energy security goals. With Cybersecurity concerns on the forefront, the telecom industry and the “industrial internet” have key roles to play in the expansion of reliable, secure and resilient network capability.
But questions remain regarding project economics and financing. Success in this arena will demand going far beyond bidding on project announcements. In many ways the real work begins now. Defense renewable energy contracting is evolving in an attempt to increase project finance ability. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has thrown significant obstacles in front of Army MATOC contract vehicles, forcing the Army to utilize other contracting avenues (such as UESC, and ESPC.) How can projects comply with complex federal acquisition regulations and individual service requirements, while remaining attractive to financiers and profitable for developers? Only the developers that gain a thorough understanding of each Service’s renewable energy needs, and how procurement programs work, can structure projects that meet the key business requirements of the base, utilities and financiers alike in this growing market.
Infocast, a world leader in renewable energy finance, investment and development events, designed the 6th Defense Renewables Summit, March 15-16, 2016 in Arlington, VA, to bring DoD, Air Force, Army and Navy decision-makers together with renewable energy developers, utilities, system integrators, financiers, EPCs, cybersecurity, energy storage, smartgrid and telecom experts to meet the renewable energy goals and security needs of the DoD. The summit will explore how viable, financeable projects can be developed to the benefit of all. The summit will provide the latest on emerging guidelines and processes that merges the complexity of federal acquisitions with the risk allocation methods of project finance.
