SolarCity And Forest City Installing Solar Panels On Nearly 6,500 Military Homes

SolarCity and Forest City Communities announced last week the start of a project providing solar energy for 6,500 military homes at the Marine Corps Base and the Navy Region in Hawaii, located in the Ohana Military Communities (OMC).

When completed, the first phase of the five-year SolarStrong project will have 24 MW of solar energy. Already, 700 KW of solar capacity has been installed on the Hawaiian Marine Corps Base, with further installation set soon for Navy Bases at OMC.

“Our partnership with SolarCity on this renewable energy initiative is a strong positive for the military and for the environment. Sustainability is a corporate core value at Forest City,” said Thomas Henneberry, president of Forest City Military Communities.

“This is our first involvement with the SolarStrong project and we’re hopeful to find opportunities to expand it to other portions of our portfolio.”

The 24 MW project is part of a long term plan to advance solar energy for military families. SolarCity’s SolarStrong five-year $1-billion project is targeting 120,000 military houses with 300 MW of solar energy.

Besides the US military championing renewable energy, which is aiming for 25% of its energy from renewable sources, Hawaii also has its own ambitious targets. The Aloha State plans to have 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

SolarCity has already been a proud supporter of Military solar-based initiatives. Last November, the California-based installer announced a 13.2 MW project, powering 4,700 homes at the Fort Bliss, Texas base, and White Sands, New Mexico missile range.

As SolarCity continues to gain new business its shares continue to go up. As of late Monday the share price was $31.89, nearly four times than the first share offering in December, 2012.