Officials at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, one of the largest military facilities in the world, are looking to renewable power to enhance the sprawling base's energy security.

Ameresco Inc., in partnership with Duke Energy Corp., will build a 1.1-MW floating solar facility in Big Muddy Lake at Camp Mackall, a special forces training area within Fort Bragg's 251 square miles. And a new 2-MW battery storage system "will provide seamless transition to on-site generation during utility provider outages," an Ameresco announcement said. Construction is scheduled to begin in November.

Roughly 50,000 active-duty personnel live on the base. Ameresco will execute the contract through its Federal Solutions Group.

"With one-tenth of the Army housed at Fort Bragg, including Special Operations, Airborne and Global Response Force forces, it is imperative to provide energy security and improvements to the installation's utility infrastructure," Nicole Bulgarino, Ameresco executive vice president and general manager of federal solutions, said in the announcement. "We're eager to get to work installing these energy saving and resiliency measures across Fort Bragg and to support the readiness of the U.S. Army by maintaining a continuous power supply at this critical installation."

Additionally, Ameresco will improve the facility's boiler; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; and lighting systems. The Framingham, Mass.-based renewable energy company said the facility's annual energy use will decrease by 7% while water consumption will fall by 20%.

Under the $36 million contract, Duke will secure financing to fund construction, Ameresco said. The Army will pay down the financing annually through utility cost savings, which could reach $2 million annually.

Floating solar is catching on across the world as land for expansive renewable energy projects grows scarcer. A recent study found that floating solar installations on inland waters have the potential for 4 TW of capacity globally.