RI Army National Guard installs largest rooftop solar PV system on a state facility

We are proud to recognize one of the winners of the 2022 Lead by Example Clean Energy Awards – The Rhode Island Army National Guard (RIARNG)

In 2020, RIARNG installed its first rooftop solar PV system on the Camp Fogarty Armory building. At the time, it was the largest rooftop solar PV system on a state facility at 207 KW.

In 2021, the RIARNG began construction on an even larger rooftop solar PV system at 550 KW. This solar system is on the Combined Support Maintenance Shop (CSMS) located at the Camp Fogarty Regional Training Site. The CSMS is an 80,000 square foot maintenance shop that was constructed in 2010.

Once up and running, this solar system will be the State's largest rooftop solar PV array on a State agency and doubles the size of their first solar project at the Camp Fogarty Armory. The system is expected to generate nearly 700,000 kWh annually, producing around 80 percent of the facility’s average annual kWh consumption.

The total cost of the project was $1,045,000 and the RIARNG received $175,000 in grants, of which $75,000 came from the Renewable Energy Fund and $100,000 from Office of Energy Resources resulting in net cost of $870,000.

RIARNG also has fully converted all its interior and exterior lighting at 15 of its major facilities, converted two sites from oil to natural gas, and is working to upgrade older facility HVAC systems.

As both a State and federal Agency, it is imperative for the RIANG to Lead by Example within the State, as well as to contribute to producing clean energy and set an example for state agencies, municipalities, and other federal agencies