Jul. 5--The new solar panels on rooftops at the California Air National Guard base in Fresno are a first for any air guard base nationwide, but they won't be the last.

Military and solar company representatives expect to see more solar projects on air guard bases -- and all types of military bases -- across the country.

A solar company recently finished installing 3,819 solar panels at the Fresno air guard base, home to the 144th Fighter Wing. The 660-kilowatt system was built on three newly constructed carports and a rooftop at the McKinley Avenue base.

The system provides about one-third of the base's power, saving about $100,000 a year, officials said.

For several years, the Air National Guard has focused on renewable energy and other energy-saving techniques, said Lisa A. Cutts, a base civil engineer.

When the guard's parent organization in Washington, D.C., offered up funding for such a project, Cutts jumped at the chance, saying Fresno's sunny sky would be the perfect place for the air guard to debut the panels.

"We're kind of the guinea pig for the guard," she said.

The project was installed by San Francisco-based Akeena Solar, which has an office in Clovis. It was completed in phases, starting in 2006 and finished this year.

It cost about $6 million and covers almost 40,000 square feet.

The installation is eligible to receive an estimated $1.1 million rebate from the California Solar Initiative.

Unlike some other projects in which the solar company owns the panels and leases them to the location, the air guard owns the panels, said base vice commander Col. Ryan Orian.

Some of the panels were installed on the avionics building, and three carports were built to hold the other panels.

"It's a great deal for the base members," Orian said. "They've got a place to park in the shade."

About 380 people work at the base on weekdays, with about 1,000 participating in drills on the weekends. The carports also can be used for shade during events like picnics with families.

Dust must occasionally be washed off the panels, a chore that can be turned into a training exercise for the on-base fire station, Cutts said.

Akeena CEO Barry Cinnamon said his company has done several projects at military bases, although this is the first air guard project, according to the guard. He expects to do more.

The military helped speed the development of solar technology along with the space industry, he said, noting that satellites are powered by solar panels. Using it on rooftops is a natural next step for the military, he said.

"Because the military has so many buildings and facilities, and obviously there's a lot of incentive with the federal government to put renewable technologies to work, it's turning out to be a pretty good size market," he said.

Using solar power goes hand in hand with national security, said Lt. Col. John Cotter.

"It will reduce our dependence on foreign energy," he said.

An air guard base in Toledo, Ohio, became the second air guard base to do a solar project, that one slightly larger than Fresno's. And Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada has a massive 70,000-solar-panel producing 14 megawatts a year.

The Fresno 660-kilowatt air guard project is not as big as many local projects.

Fresno Yosemite International Airport has a solar project producing 4.2 megawatts a year. California State University, Fresno, has a 1.2-megawatt solar power system that is among the largest at any U.S. university. And P-R Farms, Del Monte Foods and Paramount Farms all have solar arrays producing more than 1 megawatt a year.

The reporter can be reached at bclough@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6431.

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